Carly Booth, Caroline Hedwall, Meghan MacLaren and Kelsey MacDonald qualified for next month’s US Women’s Open after taking part in European Sectional Qualifying at Buckinghamshire Golf Club.
Booth (70, 73) and Hedwall (73, 70) tied on 143, one under par, to earn their spots after 36 holes played in testing conditions at the Denham-based venue.
After finishing two strokes back, MacLaren and MacDonald then earned their places following a one-hole play-off with Valdis Jonsdottir. In driving rain and swirling winds, the two Britons both made pars on the par-three ninth, while Jonsdottir bogeyed the hole.
Booth, 24, from Perthshire, was thrilled to qualify for the $5 million Major championship, which will take place at Trump National in New York on July 13-17. The two-time LET tournament winner said: “It was a roller coaster out there. The wind was switching and it was raining sideways. It was like a battlefield, but I stayed strong, stayed positive and stayed patient. Today, a lot of it was good and I had a few bad shots in every part of my game, but I think that’s because the weather was so tough. I holed some really good putts and hit some really good drives. I think that was the key today, hitting fairways and greens, and giving myself some chances.”
Meanwhile, Hedwall, a five-time champion on the LET, was equally pleased with her performance in the tough conditions. The 28 year old from Helsingborg in Sweden said: “When I played the first round I felt that even par was going to be a good score today, and I just tried to hang in there. It was really, really tough: very windy and we got some rain. I’m just really happy that I made it through.”
Ladies European Tour rookie MacLaren led the field after an opening round of 69, but bogeyed her final two holes for a second-round 76. After a tense wait, followed by a solid performance in the play-off, the 24 year old from Nottinghamshire was finally able to celebrate qualifying for her first Major championship.
She said: “Everything that you’ve done before comes down to one hole, or one shot. You have to get your mind right and treat it the same as you would any other shot. It’s nice to get it done. I started off really well in the morning round when the conditions weren’t too bad, and then it was just a case of grinding as well as I could after that, because conditions were really tough out there. I was happy with what I did.
“This is the first time I’ve come to US qualifying, so to suddenly be in the US Women’s Open is amazing. I’ve never played in a Major before, so it will be great to play against the best players in the world and I can’t wait!”
MacDonald, 26, from Inverness, previously qualified for the US Women’s Open as a rookie in 2004, and will make her second appearance this summer. Her second round of 74 included a hole-in-one at the 14th, where she used a 6-iron from 153 yards.
After the play-off, she said: “This is my second US Women’s Open, as I qualified here for the first one three years ago and I played at Pinehurst. It was a bit daunting, so I know that this year I will enjoy the experience a lot more and feel more comfortable. I just can’t wait. I’m buzzing!”