Hayley Davis plays Tara Watters in English championship final

14 May 2010

Dorset’s Hayley Davis delighted local supporters when she reached the final of the English amateur championship at Broadstone, in her home county. She plays Tara Watters of Middlesex who is in the final for the second successive year.

This is Hayley’s first appearance in the championship but she was confident she could make a good showing.

“I’ve been playing well and I felt I could reach the final. Now I shall give it my best shot,” said the 17-year-old, who is an England girl international and the Dorset champion.

She beat Gloucestershire’s Charlotte Ellis in a very tight match. Only one hole separated the two players for most of the round and the lead changed hands a number of times.

Hayley struck a crucial blow when she birdied the short 15th to go two up and after the next two holes were halved - in birdie, par – she was through to the final. “I look a little while to settle at the start of the match but I played well later on when I needed to,” she said.

Earlier in the day she beat Lancashire’s Nikki Foster in the quarter-finals.

Tara Watters enjoys this championship but she had to pinch herself to believe she was in the final again. “I can’t believe I’ve done it again, I thought the field was a lot stronger this year,” she said.

She claimed her place with a convincing 6/4 win over Curtis Cup player Hannah Barwood. Tara was on sparkling form, winning the first three holes of the match and reaching the turn in three-under par. Steady play – and her excellent short game – brought her victory on the 14th.

“The pressure was definitely off me,” said Tara. “I was the underdog while Hannah is the England international and Curtis Cup player. So I could just relax and try and play my normal game.

“But even when I had a good lead  I had to keep focused. I won a match yesterday after being four down at one stage – so I knew Hannah could come back at me. I had to keep going.

“I do like this championship and this course is fantastic. It’s my kind of course.”  

Earlier, in the quarter-finals, Tara beat England international Kelly Tidy of Lancashire. Meanwhile Charlotte Ellis defeated Curtis Cup player Rachel Jennings, while Hannah Barwood beat Buckinghamshire’s Rachel Drummond.

Results

Quarter finals
Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton) beat Rachel Jennings (Izaak Walton) 4/3
Hayley Davis (Ferndown) beat Nikki Foster (Pleasington) 5/4
Hannah Barwood (Knowle)  beat Rachel Drummond (Beaconsfield) 1 up
Tara Watters (Muswell Hill) beat Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) 1 up

Semi-finals
Davis beat Ellis 2/1
Watters beat Barwood 6/4

 

Dorset's Hayley Davis, 17, wins English championship

15 May 2010

Teenager Hayley Davis won the English amateur championship at her first attempt when she defeated Tara Watters 2/1 in the final at Broadstone, in her home county of Dorset.

Hayley, who celebrated her 17th birthday in February, is one of the youngest-ever champions. She is playing her first season of ladies’ golf and was making her debut in this event.

It’s a spectacular start and she said after the match: “It’s really good, I’m really happy.”

The excellent match enthralled the large crowd of spectators, many of them from Hayley’s club, Ferndown, and she added: “It’s special to win in my home county with everyone watching.” 

The result meant a second successive disappointment for Tara, who was also losing finalist last year. But she said: “Hayley deserved to win, she played superb golf.”

Tara won the first hole with a birdie and held a narrow lead over most of the opening holes. But Hayley made her move on the par five seventh, with two superb wood shots to the heart of the green and took the score back to all square.

She followed up with another fine tee shot on the 192-yard eighth and, when she won the hole, she was in front for the first time. She extended her lead with an excellent par four on the 10th, where she was bunkered off the tee, played out into the middle of the fairway and put her third stone dead. 

A birdie on the uphill par four 12th moved her three ahead and she got to four up on the 14th where a fine approach putt on the difficult green finished in tap-in range. Tara, who has a wonderful short game, uncharacteristically three-putted.

Both players struck great shots into the short 15th and Hayley had a putt for the title. But the green is tricky and her sloping, downhill stroke stayed out of the hole. “It wasn’t my favourite length putt!” she said afterwards.

Tara went on to reduce the deficit to two holes when she won the 16th with a birdie four. Hayley tangled with the rough, a tree and a bunker and did well to par the hole.

The 17th was the decider. Again both players hit the green in regulation and both two-putted, providing Hayley with the essential half for victory. But she confessed afterwards: “That was the only time I felt nervous, my second putt was only about 2½ft but I didn’t like it!” 

Hayley didn’t play ladies’ golf last year when she was taking her GCSEs but now she’s at college, studying for sport and golf qualifications, she’s able to spread her wings. She’s already been seventh this season in the Welsh open strokeplay. She has enjoyed a very good junior career and is an England girl international and a past winner of the Scottish U16 strokeplay championship.

Final result
Hayley Davis (Ferndown) beat Tara Watters (Muswell Hill) 2/1