England’s Naomi Edwards wins St Rule Trophy
01 June
2005
England international Naomi Edwards eagled her way
to victory in the St Rule Trophy at St Andrews, with
a second hole triumph in a sudden-death play-off.
Her eagle three beat the birdies of new English champion
Felicity Edwards (Harborne) and Ireland’s Heather
Nolan (Shannon). The three had tied on two-under par
225 at the end of the 54 holes of regulation play.
Naomi, from Ganton in Yorkshire, is the first English
player to win the title since 1997 – and the
21-year-old follows in the footsteps of world number
one Annika Sorenstam, who won this event in 1990.
Naomi, together with 18-year-old Felicity Johnson
and fellow England international Lisa Ball (Matfen
Hall), also won the team prize for England, beating
Scotland by 10 shots. Felicity completed a clean sweep
for England by retaining the Lawson Trophy for the
best under-18 performance. All three players are members
of ELGA’s Sport England, lottery-funded World
Class training programme.
“I am over the moon, really chuffed ”
said Naomi, who shot up the leaderboard with a six-under
par 70 in the third round, matching the low score
of the tournament. “It was very enjoyable, terrific.”
After the first two rounds, on the New and Old courses,
Naomi was six shots adrift of the leader, former Scottish
champion Anne Laing. Then, over the opening holes
of the final round, also on the Old course, Naomi
moved further off the pace when she was three over
after four holes.
But then she hit incomparable form, playing the last
14 holes in nine under par. Naomi had eagles at the
par four 9th and the par five 17th, the infamous Road
Hole, and birdies on the 5th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 15th
and 18th, where she finished off with a driver, a
gap wedge and an 3ft putt to claim her place in the
play-off.
All three players parred the first extra hole but
Naomi settled matters on the next where she used a
seven wood to reach the green in two and holed an
8ft putt for an eagle three – and the title.
“The England players are on great form at
the moment,” said Naomi, whose next big date
is the British Championship at Littlestone, Kent.
“Hopefully we will get a British winner and,
even better, an English one.”
Leading final scores. First round: New Course; second
& third rounds: Old Course. (CSS 75 77 75).
225 Heather Nolan (Shannon) 77 75 73, Naomi Edwards
(Ganton) 75 80 70, Felicity Johnson (Harborne) 75
76 74 (Edwards won sudden-death play-off at second
extra hole.)
227 A Laing (Vale of Leven) 72 77 78.
229 K Caithness (St Regulus) 77 76 76, M Morrin (The
Curragh) 75 77 77, C Booth (Auchterarder) 79 73 77.
230 F Lockhart (St Regulus) 76 78 76, S Bishop (Windyhill)
76 78 76.
Selected English scores: 237 J Ewart (Catterick)
79 83 75. 238 L Brand (Ilkley) 79 78 81. 239 L Ball
(Matfen Hall) 78 84 77, S Garbutt (Ganton) 80 81 78.
240 O Briggs (Delamere Forest) 78 85 77.
241 L Barton (Coventry) 77 80 84. 242 R Lomas (Hallowes)
79 85 78.
244 C Howells (Moor Hall) 80 86 78, L Harvey (Richmond)
79 83 82, J McGuigan (Royston) 79 80 85.
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