Olivia Briggs battles in Orange Blossom epic
24 January 2006
Cheshire ’s Olivia Briggs came within a whisker of victory on the prestigious Orange Blossom Tour in Florida .
The 23-year-old from Delamere Forest lost an epic final in the Jones Doherty Challenge Cup at Coral Ridge Country Club, when she was beaten by a birdie on the 21 st hole.
Olivia made a brave bid for the trophy, which has been won by such great players as Patty Berg and Babe Zaharias.
In the final against Alexandra Bodemann, 17, she fought back from four down with six to play to be all square coming up the 18 th. The players halved the hole in birdies to take the match into extra time.
The next two holes were also halved – with Olivia missing a winning 3ft putt on the 19 th – before Bodemann birdied the 21 st.
"I was shaking coming up the 18th and shaking a huge amount at the 19th, 20th and 21st," Olivia said later.
She is the captain of a Stirling University squad which is playing the final two events of the Orange Blossom Tour as part of their golf programme.
Another squad member, Alex Marshall, won the competition for competitors beaten in the first round of the matchplay stages of the Jones Doherty Challenge Cup. Alex, a member at Burghley Park, was the 2001 English girls’ champion.
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