Golf at Goodwood’s Yasmin Hang may not have started the Sussex Ladies County Championship particularly well but come the final reckoning certainly was in a good place as she took the coveted title for the first time.
The 18-year-old, not long back from completing her first year at Northeastern State University (Oklahoma), endured a below-par first morning, shooting a 12 over par 84 to leave herself in a battle to make the matchplay stages.
She did just that thanks to a second round 78 and things just better and better at the Highwoods course, culminating in a stunning 7&6 victory in the final over Chloe Briance (Bognor Regis).
“While in America I won two competitions and have become much more calm and consistent,” said Yasmin, who was runner-up in last year’s Plate final.
She certainly displayed plenty of consistency against Chloe. After going one up at the fifth, she won sixth, the seventh was halved but took the next five, fittingly finishing with a championship-clinching birdie on 12.
Earlier in the morning the talented teenager saw off Clarrisa Bushell 4&2 in her semi-final but the day before, just about squeezed through against Royal Eastbourne’s Brandy Rook, who won the 18th to take the match into a sudden death play-off.
Unfortunately for Brandy her drive at the first extra hole went out of bounds and Yasmin was able to secure a safe bogey to secure her spot in the last four.
Yasmin qualified 12th with the top 16 playing in the main knockout. Cottesmore’s Salysa Mason finished seven shots clear of the rest. Her second-round 71 (-1) was the only under par round in the 36-hole qualifier.