The final match is set at the British Women’s Amateur

The final match is set at the British Women’s Amateur

Melanie Green (Royal and Ancient Photo)

Scotland’s Lorna McClymont and Melanie Green from the United States of America will contest The 121st Women’s Amateur Championship Final at Portmarnock tomorrow.

McClymont impressed in a 4&3 semi-final triumph over Sweden’s Louise Rydqvist, the 2022 runner-up.

Key putts proved key to success for McClymont, a two-time winner of The R&A Student Tour Series Order of Merit and this year’s Scottish Women’s Amateur Champion. The 23-year-old will now aim to emulate the last Scot to win The Women’s Amateur, Louise Duncan, in 2021, when she faces Green in the 36-hole showdown tomorrow.

Green came through a tighter semi-final meeting with Marie Eline Madsen, the 19-year-old Dane who knocked out world number one Lottie Woad. The American, 22, edged to a 3&1 victory to reach the Final on her Championship debut.

On a less blustery day compared to the high winds of Thursday, Rydqvist’s bogey at the par-5 6th handed McClymont a one-hole lead before the Scot’s stunning birdie putt from 45 feet at the 8th took her two ahead.

A dropped shot and loss followed at the 9th but McClymont surged three up after back-to-back victories at the 11th and 12th. Another long-range birdie putt from McClymont closed out the match from the back of the par-3 15th.

Green, who is ranked No. 27 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings, never trailed against Madsen but finally pulled clear with decisive birdies at the short 15th and the par-5 16th. The University of South Florida graduate will aim to become the first winner from the USA since Kelli Kuehne in 1996.

In the morning’s quarter-finals, Madsen was never behind in a 3&2 win over Annabelle Pancake, last year’s runner-up at Prince’s. The American recovered from losing the first two holes to level the match after six, but then bogeyed five of the next seven holes to bow out.

Green was pushed to extra holes in a tight match with Paula Schulz-Hanssen, who was bidding to become the fourth German winner in the last seven years. Green’s birdie at the 17th proved crucial to level the contest before she prevailed at the 20th.

Ireland’s Anna Foster was cheered on by local support, including members from her Elm Park Golf Club, and a ten-feet birdie putt at the 10th prompted a loud cheer to level her last-eight tie with Rydqvist. But while Foster started to make some errors – including three bogeys in a row from the 11th – Rydqvist, 22, stayed strong and eased to a 4&2 victory.

McClymont, 131st on WAGR®, played in the last quarter-final match against France’s Ines Archer yet was first to seal her last-four place thanks to a comfortable 7&6 win. The University of Stirling student reeled off a number of pars to build an advantage while her opponent struggled in the wind.

The victor tomorrow will join a list of Women’s Amateur Champions that includes Babe Zaharias, Catriona Matthew, Carlota Ciganda, Anna Nordqvist, Georgia Hall, Céline Boutier and Leona Maguire.

The winner of this year’s Championship also has future opportunities, gaining entry to the AIG Women’s Open, US Women’s Open, The Amundi Evian Championship, the Chevron Championship and, by tradition, will earn an invitation to compete at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

The Women’s Amateur Championship has only been played at Portmarnock on one previous occasion, 93 years ago in 1931, with the venue last hosting The Amateur Championship in 2019 when home player James Sugrue triumphed.