Opening Golf to the World
Girls' Amateur
Garcia Terol and Muñoz set up historic Girls’ Amateur finale
14 Aug 26
4 mins
History will be made in the 36-hole Final of The R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship at Craigielaw. For the first time since the Championship’s inception in 1919, two Spaniards will face off for the honour of lifting the prestigious Challenge Cup.
Adriana Garcia Terol faces compatriot Marta Muñoz to see who will emerge victorious from an initial field of 144 players from 32 countries who started the week on the East Lothian coastline. Following four days of relatively calm conditions, Craigielaw showed its true links teeth during the semi-finals, demanding sharp shot-making and game management in a stiff coastal breeze. Muñoz, 16, overcame South Africa’s Lisa Coetzer 4&3, while 17-year-old Garcia Terol ran out a one-hole winner over Swiss player Lana Guyot in the other semi-final contest. The losing semi-finalists were each bidding to carve out their own piece of history: no South African has ever won the Girls’ title, while Evelyn Orley in 1983 remains the only Swiss champion. On paper, Muñoz had the tougher match. Ranked 1,374th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®), Muñoz was up against 236th-ranked Coetzer, the highest-ranked player left in the draw thanks to winning The R&A’s African Women’s Amateur Invitational and finishing low amateur among the professionals in the Investec South African Women’s Open on the Ladies' European Tour.
Adriana Garcia Terol and Marta Muñoz will go head-to-head in Saturday's Final.
It looked as if the rankings were spot on when Coetzer raced to a three-hole lead after six holes. However, the player bound for Texas A&M in 2028 suddenly began to falter. Coetzer, also 16, played the next seven holes in eight-over-par to find herself two down. Muñoz finished with a pair of birdies at the 14th and 15th holes to close out the match.
“I was a bit nervous when I started because I wanted to play well,” said Muñoz, who has committed to play college golf for the University of Arizona. “But I’ve been playing well this week so that gave me a good mentality.
“I wasn’t worried when I was three down because there were lots of holes left. I just told myself to stay patient and keep hitting good shots.
“She’s a good player, and I knew she had a higher ranking than me but a lot can happen in match play. I’ve played well all week and was confident I could beat anyone.”
She not only backed up that statement by defeating Coetzer, but she also dispatched Hong Kong’s Sabrina Wong 5&4 in the second round. Glasgow-based Wong was the highest-ranked player in the field at 164th.
“I haven’t played as well as I’d have liked this year,” Muñoz added. “So being in the Final of this championship is a very big thing for me.”
Adriana Garcia Terol beat Swiss player Lana Guyot in a tight semi-final at Craigielaw.
Garcia Terol, ranked 259th, had a stiffer test against Guyot, who holds 376th position on WAGR®. It was a match that could have gone either way; indeed, there was never more than one hole in the contest.
The crux came at the 149-yard, par-3 17th hole when Guyot found a greenside bunker and could not get up and down for par. That restored the Spaniard’s one-hole advantage and she closed out the contest with a par at the last.
“I can’t believe it,” said Garcia Terol, who is bound for the University of Texas. “I’m super happy and proud of myself. It was a tough match because Lana is a good player. We didn’t play that great but it was a good fight. Either one of us could have won.
“I’m proud two Spaniards have reached the Final for the first time to make history for our country. I’m super happy for Marta and I know we will have a good match.”
Alejandra Pasarin was the last Spaniard to win the Girls’ Amateur Championship, defeating Germany’s Chiara Mertens 2&1 in 2014. She is one of three Spanish winners alongside Belen Mozo (2006) and Azahara Muñoz (2004).