Hannah Darling fought off a late comeback bid from Beth Coulter to continue her dream summer and win the R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship at Fulford.
The 18-year-old Scot began the week with selection to the Great Britain and Ireland team for this month’s Curtis Cup at Conwy – and ended it in style by defeating Ireland’s Coulter by two holes.
Darling lived up to her status as the highest-ranked player in the field – currently 27th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking – and continues a superb spell of golf this year.
The Broomieknowe Golf Club member has also won the St Rule Trophy, finished runner-up at the Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open Championship, and reached the semi-finals of The Women’s Amateur Championship and Scottish Women’s Amateur Championship.
After Darling won the inaugural R&A Girls’ U16 Amateur Championship at Fulford in 2018, closing with a 40-foot birdie putt to win after Coulter’s slip up on the 18th, the pair renewed their rivalry in a high-quality, keenly contested final.
While conditions were overcast and breezy, the pair lit up the course after sharing six birdies in the first five holes to sit all square – with Darling single putting four of them.
In front of an appreciative crowd, Coulter’s bunker play kept her level before Darling made a birdie at the par-5 9th to edge ahead at the turn.
Darling then holed from eight feet for another birdie at the 12th following a superb approach, before Coulter conceded the long 13th after finding long rough to the right of the green and trail three down.
But the 17-year-old, winner of the Irish Girls’ Close Championship and runner-up in the Irish Women’s Amateur Close Championship this year, hit back by winning the short 14th with a solid par and then holed superbly for a birdie from 20 feet at the 16th to reduce her arrears to one hole.
Kirkistown Castle’s Coulter passed up a good opportunity at the 17th to go all square, before Darling kept her cool to strike two impressive shots onto the par-5 18th. The Scot putted close for birdie, with Coulter unable to better it after finding the trees off the tee.
