Girls' and Boys' Am

Leading qualifiers at the Girls’ and Boys' Amateurs both progress

The R&A

14 Aug 24

3 mins

English sisters Emily and Annabel Peaford stayed on course for a sibling showdown in The R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship at Alwoodley.

Girls' Scoring

The Walton Heath twins, 15, safely negotiated their way through the opening match play round and could meet each other in the last-16 if they both overcome their respective second round hurdles on Thursday morning.

Tide turns

Emily, who is making her debut in the Girls' Amateur, eased to a 4&3 victory over Italy’s Matilde Zocchi during a keenly fought tussle which turned in the Surrey youngster’s favour around the turn. A birdie putt of 25-feet on the 8th saw Peaford inch ahead and she picked up two more birdies at the 10^th and 11^th during a telling push which sent her into a commanding three-hole advantage. “It’s really exciting to be in the same field as my sister,” she said. “We both spur each other on and we’re both very competitive. She’s more powerful off the tee and longer but I’m maybe a bit straighter. “It would be interesting if we got to play each other. We’ve played before in County matches, and it’s always been tight.”

Fast start

Annabel, meanwhile, made a fast start in her joust with Antonia Steiner of Germany en route to a 3&1 victory. Peaford, who claimed the biggest win of her young career last month in the European Young Masters, knocked in birdie putts of ten feet at the 2nd and 3rd to forge an early advantage which she never surrendered. “The plan was to get up early through the first few holes and I managed to do that,” she said. “That will be the game plan going forward; to push from the start. “I like having my sister competing in the same event. When I see she is doing well, it makes me want to do better. We both want each other to play well.”

Top seed progresses

In the day’s top match, Manon Petitcolas, the leading stroke play qualifier, was pushed all the way to the 18^th by her French compatriot, Axelle Guillemard. In a nip-and-tuck contest, Petitcolas staved off the spirited challenge of her rival on the final green to clinch a two-hole win. Angela Zhang of the United States of America underlined her reputation as one of the rising stars of junior golf with a dominant 5&4 victory over Sophie Bingel of Germany. A prolific winner in her age group, Zhang, who qualified for the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach as a 14-year-old last season, stamped her authority on the match in its opening exchanges and was three holes to the good through six. “I started very strongly and that helped to build my confidence,” she said. “This is my first R&A event and I’m really enjoying the experience and the golf. “Qualifying for the US Women’s Open was huge. I learned so much from that week and I can take that experience to all the other tournaments as I develop.” Last year’s beaten finalist, Martina Navarro Navarro of Spain, edged through at the 21st hole of a tense encounter with Paris Appendino of Italy.

Birthday bonus

Another impressive winner was India’s Zara Anand, who beat England’s Elizabeth Wilson 5&4. Anand, who finished 14^th in The R&A’s Junior Open in July, has an added incentive to keep her campaign going. “It’s is my dad’s birthday on Thursday so hopefully he gets to walk a few more holes with me and I keep going,” she said with a smile. France’s Sara Brentcheneff, the highest placed player on the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®) at 105, eased to a 5&4 win over Germany’s Clara Duerr but the number two qualifier, Ebba Lundqvist of Sweden, was ousted in round one after a 2&1 defeat to Clara Sanchiz of Spain.

Boys’ Amateur Championship

Leading stroke play qualifier Mads Heller continued his progress with a dramatic win at the Boys’ Amateur Championship at Moortown but the hopes of home member Josh Stephens came to an end.

Boys' Scoring

Heller, 17, found himself in trouble in his last-64 match play meeting with England’s Charlie Crocker. The Dane was two down with only three holes to play before battling to all square as the players stood on the 18^th tee. Both struck their tee shots into trouble on the right and lost their balls before proceeding to halve the hole with double bogey sixes. Heller’s delicate chip from the right of the 19^th green set up a decisive birdie to claim victory. “It was tough all the way. We both played really good,” said Heller. “Charlie made many putts inside five yards and kept the pressure on me all the time. I was two down with three to go but then made a birdie on 17 before our lost balls on the last. I was pleased to birdie the 19^th to win it. Match play for me is tougher than stroke play. I felt some extra pressure being the leading qualifier and anything can happen in match play. I’m playing good and just need to keep it going.”

Bolton in form

Finland’s Leevi Hellberg, second in qualifying, also continued his form after a 3&2 victory over Corentin Guilloux from France to seal a last-32 place. Ben Bolton, part of the England boys’ squad, also ended the bid of another French player, Calllixte Alzas, thanks to a closing birdie for a 2&1 win. Bolton played an international match against France at Moortown back in May and the knowledge has proved useful. Charlie Rusbridge, Finlay Rennie and Samuel Marshall were also among other English players to advance. Bolton said, “It feels good to come through that match. I had two putts for the win from 13 feet on the 18^th so I was pretty comfortable with it. I was happy to roll it in for birdie. I play a lot of match play together with the English lads and they’re all great players. It’s going to be a good test for us all the rest of this week. I played a men’s international match here against France in May so that knowledge of Moortown has been good for me.” For local fans, there was disappointment as Moortown member Stephens bowed out by 2&1 against Edwin Sjodin from Sweden after a close contest.

Dutch delight

Scott Woltering from the Netherlands enjoyed one of the biggest wins of the day, 5&3 against Spaniard Inigo Aguirre. Scotland’s Aidan Lawson, who recently won the boys' competition at the European Young Masters, battled all the way before losing at the 20^th to Enzo Persson from Sweden. “It wasn’t a long day,” admitted the Dutchman. “I was seven up after eight holes but my second nine holes wasn’t as good. I made an eagle on the 5^thand birdied the 7^th and 8^th. He didn’t have a great start so I was well ahead. It’s my first time playing in the Boys’ Amateur and I’ve enjoyed the challenge this week. For me, the Championship really begins now.” Persson said of his tie with Lawson, “I played pretty poorly at the start but just did what I could and stayed in the game. I holed a really nice putt on the 18th to keep the match going and got it done on the 20th. Aidan has been playing well this season, he was a tough opponent. I was pretty nervous at the end of the match but hopefully I can go further this week now.” The last-32 and last-16 ties at the championships are played at both Yorkshire venues on Thursday.

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