Championships - Ladies' British Open Amateur Stroke-Play Championship 2010
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20.08.2010
Pamela Pretswell's Seven Year Road from Tennis to British Stroke Play Title
FROM WIMBLEDON TO WALES … PAMELA PRETSWELL’S SEVEN-YEAR ROAD FROM TENNIS TO BRITISH GOLF TITLECurtis Cup team player Pamela Pretswell, 21, from Hamilton won the 2010 Ladies’ British open amateur stroke-play championship in an exciting finish at Tenby Golf Club, South Wales on Friday (August 20)
It was her first domestic national title although she won the 2008 Switzerland women’s open amateur championship and was pipped for the Austrian women’s open amateur title three weeks ago..
Pamela is the fourth Scot in the past seven years to win the British stroke play title, following in the footsteps of compatriots Clare Queen (2004), Heather MacRae (2005) and Roseanne Niven (2008).
Pamela, part of the same squad as Andy Murray, played tennis as a junior for Scotland and Great Britain and once took part in a demonstration with the Great Britain junior team on the Number One court at Wimbledon. She turned to golf just seven years ago after tennis had threatened to take over her life.
Studying business and management, she's a year away from securing an honours degree at Glasgow University.
A member at Bothwell Castle, where she plays off plus three, Pretswell secured her first Great Britain and Ireland cap in last year's Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe. This past June, Pamela made her Curtis Cup team debut in the United States.
At Tenby, the Ladies’ British stroke-play championship was reduced to three rounds after a 2hr 30min suspension of play from 9am to 11.30am on the third and final day while a violent thunder and lightning storm raged over the course. It was the second day of bad weather on the South Wales coast. The second round was played in relentless rain.
The joint overnight leaders, Pretswell and Chrisje De Vries ( Netherlands ), did not set out for the third round until 12.30 which meant there would not have been enough daylight left for the field to play 36 holes on the final day.
Curtis Cup reserve and the 2008 Welsh girls champion, Amy Boulden (Maesdu), whose 17th birthday was earlier this month, moved up from third place, one off the pace, at the start of the third round to take a one-shot the lead with an outward 37 to Pretswell’s 39 and 45 by De Vries.
Pretswell came home in a sparkling 33 (two under par) to Boulden’s 37 to win the Nicholls Trophy by three shots with scores of 72, 74 and 72 for two-over-par 218. Boulden scored 68, 79 and 75 for 221 to win the runners-up award, the Holden Trophy.
The pair were level overall with two holes to play.
Then came a two-stroke swing in the Scot’s favour at the penultimate hole. Boulden bogeyed the short 17th and the 18th while Pretswell got a birdie 2 at the 17th and par at the last.
Third on 225 was Denmark ’s Line Vedel Hansen with rounds of 76, 72 and 77. She had an 8 at the long eighth in an outward 43 in her last round.. She came home in 34, with a bag of four birdies, but could not make up the leeway.
France’s Alexandra Bonetti, 18-year-old winner of the Girls’ British title at Royal Belfast GC last week, finished a creditable joint fourth on 228 alongside Lara Katzy ( Germany ).
Curtis Cup player Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa), 15 year old Bronte Law (Bramhall) and Germany ’s Pia Halbig shared sixth place on 229.
Joint overnight leader Chrisje De Vries finished ninth on 230 with a final round of 84.
British women’s open amateur champion Kelly Tidy (Ganton) came joint 12th on 235.
Curtis Cup player Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down Ladies), winner of the British stroke-play title at Royal Aberdeen GC 12 months ago, had to settle for 19th place on 237 after a final round of 79.
Other trophy winners:
Duncan Salver (best total by an Under-23 player): Pamela Pretswell.
Angela Uzielli Trophy (best total by an Over-23 player): Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton).
Dinwiddy Trophy (best total by an Under-18 player): Amy Boulden.
International Team Award: Wales.
Next year’s Ladies’ British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship will be played at Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club, East Sussex from August 17 to 19, 2011.
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