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Girls' Amateur
Germany’s Maier-Borst keeps momentum building at Girls’ Amateur
13 Aug 25
6 mins
Sofia Maier-Borst may have opened her Girls’ Amateur Championship campaign with a potentially ruinous 81, but the German teenager has been on the offensive ever since.
Her growing momentum carried her through the first match play round at Conwy today. Over a sun-seared links that is playing firm and fast, Maier-Borst claimed a notable scalp as she edged out the 2023 runner-up, Martina Navarro Navarro of Spain, on the final green. Maier-Borst’s eight-over card in Monday’s opening stroke play qualifying round certainly left her on the back foot but she mounted a sterling salvage operation with a second round 67 to progress with ease.Impressive win
In a keenly-fought tussle with Navarro Navarro, Maier-Borst found herself two holes to the good after the 15th. On Conwy’s tricky and teasing closing stretch, though, two-up with three to play can be a fragile advantage. The German lost her drive in the bushes down the 16th and surrendered the hole and when she failed to get up-and-down from the greenside bunker on the 17th, the match was back to all-square. With the tension growing, Maier-Brost stepped up to plate and flighted a fine 8-iron into six-feet on the 18th. Navarro Navarro’s birdie attempt came up short and Maier-Brost held her nerve to roll in her match-winning putt. “It was really intense towards the end,” gasped Maier-Brost. “Anything can happen on those last three holes, so no lead is safe. This was a great win as Martina is such an awesome player.”
Sofia Maier-Borst progressed to the next round at Conwy.
Recovery powers
As the reigning German Match Play Champion, Maier-Borst has plenty of pedigree in head-to-head combat. That success in her native land also underlined her spirited powers of recovery. “I was four down in that 18-hole final and won on the 17th,” she recalled. “I never give up. My 81 in qualifying on Monday actually made things easier for me. After that, I had nothing to lose so I could just go for it.” In the day’s top match, Benedicte Brent-Petersen, the number one seed, staved off the sprightly challenge of Saskia Owen and won 3&2. Two-up through seven, Brent-Petersen had to work hard to keep Owen at bay in a high-quality encounter. The sparring duo traded birdies on the back-nine and a telling moment arrived on the par-3 15th where Brent-Petersen holed a 20-footer for birdie to regain her two-hole advantage.Top seed progresses
“I needed to get that one to give me a bigger cushion coming to the closing stretch,” said the Dane, who would close out the match on the 16th with a bogey after both players found trouble in the gorse. As the top qualifier, Brent-Petersen knew there was a target on her back, and the 18-year-old was relieved to have safely negotiated the first hurdle. “I felt a little bit of added pressure,” admitted Brent-Petersen, who had her mum urging her along on the sidelines. “I was thinking about a tournament I played in France earlier this season where I also won the strokeplay qualifying. But I got knocked out in the first matchplay round. I was determined not to let that happen again. “My mum is a great supporter and she travels with me a lot. But I think it’s more nervous for her watching than it is for me playing.”
Benedicte Brent-Petersen secured safe passage through the first matchplay round.