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The Women's Amateur
Torstensson stuns Rhodes in opening match play round at The 122nd Women’s Amateur Championship
12 Jun 25
5 mins
Havanna Torstensson claimed a notable scalp during the opening round of match play in The 122nd Women’s Amateur Championship at Nairn.
On a sun-soaked day on the Moray coast, Torstensson, the reigning Girls’ Amateur Champion, edged out Curtis Cup star Patience Rhodes 2&1 in a closely fought tussle. The 17-year-old Swede is currently 613th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®) and had her work cut out against an opponent who sits inside the top 30. But Torstensson showed her match play prowess and shook off some early nerves to earn one of the best wins of her career. In a nip-and-tuck affair, Torstensson, who has struggled to find her top form so far in 2025, took charge on the back nine. The Junior Solheim Cup player inched ahead on the 12th with a bogey as both players found themselves in trouble and she doubled her advantage on the next hole. The 14th was halved in birdies as Torstensson stood firm and staved off Rhodes’ menacing advances.
Havanna Torstensson claimed an upset victory over Patience Rhodes on day three at Nairn
There have been three Swedish winners of The Women’s Amateur Championship down the years and the good omen for Torstensson is that those previous successes were achieved on Scottish soil.
“It's very cool because Patience is so good,” said Torstensson. “When I saw the draw, I got a little bit nervous because I know how good she is.
“But winning The Girls’ Amateur Championship last year gave me confidence and proves that I can play some good golf in match play. A Girls' and Women’s Amateur double would be cool.”
In the opening tie of the day, the number one seed, Jasmine Koo, delivered an emphatic statement of intent as she powered to a 7&5 victory over Judy Joo of South Korea.
Joo had emerged from an exhausting seven-hole play-off to secure her place in the knockout stages, but Koo showed no mercy as she won the opening six holes to stamp her authority on affairs.
In a display of poise and polish, Koo made two birdies and 11 pars in the 13 holes it took her to overcome Joo.
“I definitely embraced being number one seed,” said Koo. “I don't think there’s added pressure, although I did tell my caddie, ‘hey, I can't be number one and lose in the round of 64’.
After leading the strokeplay qualifiers, Jasmine Koo eased into the last 32 on Thursday
“I think I'm more free when I play match play golf. I'm not burdened by, ‘oh my gosh, I'm five-under’. I'm just trying to win every hole and, if I feel good, there's no telling how low I can go.”
India’s Mannat Brar, who has qualified for the match play stages for the first time in three Women’s Amateur Championship appearances, showed her fondness for the head-to-head format with an impressive 5&4 win over Uma Bergner of Germany.
Brar, who reached the semi-finals of last year’s Girls’ Amateur Championship at Alwoodley, birdied her opening three holes to set herself on the way to a classy victory.
Brar said, "“Every time I'm here (in the Women’s Amateur Championship), I'm learning more about the links and it's just so fun playing this event. It's just getting better each year.
“Getting to the semi-finals of The Girls’ Amateur Championship gave me a lot of confidence. Playing at such a big event and being the first Indian to do well in it is was obviously very special. That was a very positive thing to happen to me.
Curtis Cup player Catherine Park, the highest-ranked player in the field at number seven on WAGR® eased to a 5&3 victory over Germany’s Paula Schulz-Hanssen while Australia’s Jasmine Roberts, who tied for fourth in the Women’s Asia-Pacific Amateur championship earlier this year, surged to a 7&6 win over England’s Sophia Fullbrook.
Scotland's Hannah Darling, a two-time semi-finalist and the highest-ranked GB&I player competing at Nairn, holed out from the bunker on the 16th to beat Sweden’s Alice Johansson 4&2.
There are two rounds of matches on Friday, with the last-32 and last-16 contests taking place.
View the draw for the last-32 here.