An aggressive approach paid dividends for Buckinghamshire’s Thalia Kirby as she maintained her impressive start to the season with a birdie-laden victory in the illustrious Astor Salver.
The Elite England squad member arrived at The Berkshire fresh from a fifth-placed finish in the St Rule Trophy at St Andrews. In Scotland she recorded her best ever score (-6) in the first round.
And she started the 36-hole strokeplay open at the Ascot venue with three successive birdies on the Red course and got to eight under par after 15 before an incredibly unfortunate triple bogey on the short par three 16th took the edge of the earlier fireworks.
However Thalia, a semi-finalist in last year’s England Amateur, kept looking for birdies with a one-shot lead at halfway and found five of them on the Blue course to win by two from the brilliant Surrey teenager Lottie Woad (Farnham).
“I am normally quite a safe golfer,” said the 20-year-old Harleyford star. “But I made the decision to be really aggressive, particularly on the par fives. On occasions when I might have laid up I went for the green in two out of the rough with my woods and it paid off.”
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Thalia was also pleased with her performance on the greens.
“I was really happy with putting, both in terms of lag putts and short ones. I didn’t miss anything from inside five feet and normally that is something I struggle with.”
The putts were certainly dropping in from all over in the morning. After turning in a bogey-free four under par, she birdied 12 thru 15 before the short 16th gave her problems. After just coming up with short with the tee shot, she rolled back down the hill and was faced with a 50-yard pitch. The first attempt came back to her feet and with her third shot put it ten feet past the pin. Faced with a treacherous downhill putt she against put it past the hole and could not make the lengthy return to record a six. She also bogeyed the last for a 69.
With only a short turnaround, a bogey at the first pulled her back into the pack. However she picked up four birdies on the front nine – again making hay on the par fives – to forge ahead. With all-but Lottie Woad struggling to main the pace, an even par back nine was enough for an impressive seven-under-par total.
The competition also forms one half of the 72-hole Critchley Astor Salver. The first 36 holes are made up of The Critchley Salver, which was won by Lottie at Sunningdale on May 25 and her two-shot win there was enough to give her a one-shot success over Thalia and some serious world golf ranking points.