COUNTY LADIES
LOTTIE WOAD’S
REVIEW OF 2021 AND INTO 2022 2021 began with the country back in a COVID lockdown, with golf courses closed until late March. I was very fortunate, as a member of the England Girls Squad, to qualify for an exemption to be able to practice at a local facility. My club, Farnham, kindly agreed that I could use their range, so I was a solitary figure, practising hard on my own, for a few months. I’d like to thank FGC and England Golf for enabling me to do this, together with my sister Milly and my parents who picked up hundreds of balls every weekend, so that I had a supply for the following week! Happily, golf resumed in the Spring, but unfortunately overseas travel remained difficult, so planned trips to tournaments throughout Europe and England team matches, such as the European Championships and World Junior Girls in Canada were not
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possible. It also meant that I, along with others from the UK, were unable to play any of the qualifying events for the Junior Solheim Cup, so for the first time, the European team did not have any players from GB and Ireland. However, a near full season of homebased tournaments went ahead, which was great after the limited schedule of 2020. I’ve picked out a few highlights: Farnham GC hosted the inaugural England U18 Championship, which had a field of 66 boys and 66 girls competing for a single prize. My club did a fantastic job hosting the championship, they’re a worthy finalist in the upcoming England Golf Awards for Tournament Venue of the Year. I opened with a pair of 68s to be the halfway leader. It was a great experience playing in the last group for the final two rounds on the Sunday, cheered by a
large gallery of members, but I eventually finished runner-up to Jenson Forrester. However, as leading girl I received an invite to play in a LET event, which is planned for early summer. I achieved my first National Women’s Open Championship when I won the Wales Ladies Open Strokeplay at Newport GC. It was great to get my name on the trophy alongside some of the famous past winners, such as Dame Laura Davies, who triumphed in 1984! I also won four prestigious 36 hole women’s amateur tournaments staged on some brilliant courses; The Critchley Salver at Sunningdale, The Bridget Jackson Bowl at Handsworth, The Liphook Scratch Cup and the Centenary Cup at Porters Park. I was very pleased with my level of performance during 2021, allowing me to challenge and go close in numerous
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