Hertfordshire’s Ellen Hume captured the English Women’s Amateur Championship after beating Essex’s Lily May Humphreys in a closely fought final held at a wet and windy Saunton Golf Club.
Despite the most testing conditions, the players produced great golf, with the momentum swinging to and fro over the closing stages at the North Devonshire venue.
Trading blows on the challenging links, Hume was never behind over the 18-hole final, although Humphreys was on level terms three times, including when she birdied the short 16th. However, Hume immediately birdied the long 17th to go one ahead. Humphreys won the 18th with a par three to take the game down the 19th, and it was there that Hume claimed the title with a par, after Humphreys’ approach found a thick clump of rough just off the green.
“It’s the toughest match I’ve ever played,” said 19-year-old Hume, who is a member at Mill Green Golf Club in Welwyn Garden City. “I knew that Lily is a great player, and I definitely felt I was the underdog going into the match. It’s unbelievable – I never expected to win, especially with the opponents I’ve had. The odds weren’t in my favour!”
Humphreys, the top seed, was going for her third big title of the month, having already won the Irish and Welsh stroke play championships. But Hume’s confidence was high. She returned from her first year at university in the USA with her game in great shape, and underlined that earlier this month when she won the Hertfordshire County championship.
Hume claimed a series of notable scalps en route to victory at Saunton, including those of defending champion Georgina Blackman and Emily Toy, another England international. In the semi-finals she showed her fighting qualities after going four down to Emily Brennan (Trentham) after five holes. Hume began her rally on the eighth and steadily pegged back the deficit until she won 3&1.
“Match play is a format I like,” said Hume. “My game was in a good place after my year at college in America and winning the county championship – in exactly the same format – helped prepare me for this.”
Humphreys enjoyed an even more serene route to the final, winning early rounds 2&1, 4&3 and 6&5, before beating Jess Baker (Gosforth Park) 7&6 in the semis.