Sussex’s Aileen Greenfield won the Women’s Senior Amateur Championship following a play-off at Ashridge Golf Club in Hertfordshire.
Behind all the way in the final round to leader Sale’s Catherine Rawthore, Greenfield holed from five feet for a birdie at the par-five 18th to force extra time and then a par at the opening hole of the sudden death playoff sealed the title.
Greenfield, who led on day one after a first round, closed with a 77 for ten-over-par total of 229, a score that was matched by Rawthore, who shot 79 on the final day.
In extra time, both players were on the green in two, but Rawthore three-putted from 45 feet while Greenfield two-putted for a solid par four.
The emotional new champion was close to tears as she hugged husband-come-caddie, Trevor, and she admitted she was absolutely thrilled to have lifted the prestigious trophy that earns an invitation to the US Senior Women’s Amateur Championship in Alabama in September.
“Today I was so nervous and started really badly,” said the Sussex player. “But my putting was much better than yesterday. I never knew what the position was, or how far I was behind. I told Trevor not to tell me, so it was a bit of a surprise to get into a play-off. It was a good day, and this is definitely my biggest win and it completes a nice treble.”
A winner of both the English Stroke and Match Play Seniors championships, Greenfield started the final round two shots behind playing partners, Rawthore and Jackie Foster.
A drive into the deep, tangly rough, a drop-out under penalty and a double-bogey six at the first was not the start of a champion to be, but she doggedly fought back and birdies at the 13th and 18th helped secure her place in the play-off.
Jackie Foster, from Bishops Stortford, looked set to take control when she made the best start of the final threesome and she led by three shots with nine holes to play. But her accuracy from the tee disappeared over the crucial final stretch, and four dropped shots between the 14th and the 18th saw her finish with an 81, and third place on 12 over.
“My driving just went and you can’t do anything out of the rough here. It’s so tough,” lamented the Hertfordshire golfer. “It was a shame because I was driving so well in the first two rounds.”