Whitchurch golf star Lauren Crump retains English title

A 7-under first day put her in a great position but Lancaster’s Daisy Lee played some remarkable golf herself to lead after rounds two and three.

But despite being three shots back with 18 holes to play, Crump held her nerve to shoot six birdies in her final round as she finished 18-under for the tournament and two clear of Lee to lift the title for the second year running.

She said: “It feels amazing. I came into the week knowing there was a lot of pressure on me to do it again and I'm just really happy to do it.

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"I'm playing some of my best golf. I struck my irons really well and putted so good. I saw through 10 holes that I was tied with Daisy, and I knew there were a couple of par-5s and I needed to take advantage of them and I managed to hole some important putts.

"Having won it last year, coming down the last few holes, I didn't feel as nervy as I did last time, and I was just making pars and trying to get it there."

There's not much time for celebrating for Crump, who goes into AIG Women's Open Final Qualifying at Pyle and Kenfig on Monday, hoping to achieve one of her dreams.

She added: "It would be amazing to follow in the footsteps of someone like Lottie Woad and be able to play at the AIG."

The first two days of the English Girls' Championship saw Crump shoot -7 and level-par, and she turned up the heat early on the final morning as she eagled 8 and birdied 9, but Lee made four birdies of her own on the front nine to hold a two-shot advantage.

Iceland’s Pamela Osk Hjaltadottir fired an impressive bogey-free 68 (-5) to race up the board, as did Crump’s England Golf teammate Elizabeth Wilson who made four birdies and an eagle.

But it was Crump and Lee who continued to play the best golf, with the lowest scores of round three. Both players shot 67 (-6), with Lee making a whopping eight birdies, including four on the spin from holes 13-16.

Despite a three-shot advantage heading into the final round, three bogeys for Lee and two birdies for Crump saw them back on a level playing field with nine holes to go.

The momentum stayed with Crump who birdied four out of five holes from 12-16 as she looked to have sealed the deal – until Lee rolled in a 15-footer for eagle on 13. However, Lee missed a short par putt on 14 as Crump parred her way in to ease to victory.

Crump also picked up the Hazards Salver for being the leading under-16 GB&I player of the championship.