England Girls squad member Lottie Woad laid down a marker for the season as she claimed the coveted 36-hole Critchley Salver at Sunningdale.
The 17-year-old from Surrey finished two shots clear of the 2019 England Strokeplay champion Rebecca Earl (Hertfordshire), birdieing the last to secure the biggest win of her career so far.
In fact the Farnham GC teenager had a particulary productive time on the quartet of par fives on the back nine of the Old Course – cumulatively she was five under par – and that included a sensational eagle, Lottie holing from 74 yards for a three.
In contrast Earl, who was a shot clear with nine holes to play, could only birdie two of the par fives.
The big victory has been coming for Lottie. In 2019 she claimed a superb sixth-placed finish at the European Young Masters in the Czech Republic and last year won the Frilford Salver and also reached the last eight of the England Women’s Amateur.
Lottie Woad stars as England retain European Team Championship
She started her challenge at Sunningdale by holing an eight-foot putt for eagle on the New Course but found heather at the eighth and a double bogey put her over par after three putting the previous hole for a bogey.
However she righted her challenge with a birdie at the long, par three tenth (into the wind) and was back under par with another birdie at the par five 11th.
She got to three under par with two more fours at 13 and 15 but went bunker to bunker on the par five 18th and had to settle for a six, leaving her on two under (73) and one off the lead held by Earl.
In the afternoon three bogeys in four holes threatened to derail her challenge but that eagle on 10 got her back on track.
The Critchley Salver also forms one half of the WAGR ranked Critchley Astor Salver. The Astor Salver takes place at The Berkshire on June 2.