SA Girls through to quarter finals in N Ireland

Report from LGU Website:

Stephanie Meadow’s bid to win the British Ladies’ Open Amateur Championship over her home links at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland ended in the third round this morning.

Stephanie, who had beaten the top seed, Camilla Hedberg in the second round, lost by 4 and 3 to South Africa Kim Williams.

Williams, 25, from Pretoria and making her debut in the championship, was two up after three holes, having won the second with a birdie and the third with a par. Meadow won back the third with a par. Then followed a string of halved holes, including the seventh, halved in birdies.

Williams, who will be playing for South Africa in next week’s Astor Trophy at Fairhaven GC, Lancashire, went two up at the eighth and a birdie at the ninth put her three up.

Meadow cut her deficit to two by winning the 10th but she could not turn the flow of the match. Williams won the 11th and the 13th with pars to go four up with five to play and halves at the next two finished the match.

Williams was two under par for the holes played.

The South African, the 49th qualifier, now plays 17-year-old Welsh international Amy Boulden (Maesdu), the ninth seed.

Boulden beat Kyle Roig (Puerto Rico) by one hole this morning. Amy, one down at the turn, squared the match at the 10th but lost the 13th and 14th, missing both greens and failed to get up and down to save par.

Two down with four to play, the Welsh girl won the 13th with a par and squared the match with a pitch and putt 4 at the 15th. Boulden went ahead with a one-putt birdie 4 at the 17th after driving into the rough and still being 80yd short of the green in two.

Both players easily got home in to at the par-5 18th. Roig two-putted for a birdie 4 and Boulden did likewise to halve the hole and clinch victory.

Illiska Vervey, like Williams a member of the South African team for the Astor Trophy tournament, beat the No 5 seed Sophia Popov (Germany) by one hole.

Honours were even after nine holes of a tight match. Iliska Verwey’s par at the 10th was good enoug to put her one up but Popov squared it with a par at the 12th.

The ding-dong struggle continued to sway backwards and forward with Verwey showing aead again with a par at the 13th.

The 14th and 15th holes were halved before Verwey holed a 15ft putt for a birdie 3 at the 16th to go two up – the first time in the match that either player had been more than one hole up.

Popov was not finished yet, however. She was on in 2 at the long 17th to reduce her deficit to one hole. Verwey holed a 40ft putt across the 18th green for a half which took her through by a one-hole margin. Verwey is the 21st seed.

She now plays Alexandera Bonetti (France), the 52nd seed, who beat Marta Sanz Barrio (Spain) by 2 and 1.

Afternoon Draw:

Stephanie Meadow (IRE) (32) Royal Portrush 18 4&3 Kim Williams (RSA) (49) South Africa
Amy Boulden (WAL) (9) Maesdu 1 UP 18 Kyle Roig (USA) (40) Puerto Rico
Sophia Popov (GER) (5) Germany 18 1 UP Iliska Verwey (RSA) (21) South Africa
Alexandra Bonetti (FRA) (52) France 2 UP 9 Marta Sanz Barrio (SPA) (36) Spain
Marta Silva (SPA) (35) Spain 1 UP 9 Charlotte Wild (ENG) (46) The Mere
Marita Engzelius (NOR) (11) Norway 18 5&4 Kelly Tidy (ENG) (27) Royal Birkdale
Thea Hoffmeister (GER) (26) Germany 9 2 UP Lauren Taylor (ENG) (42) Woburn
Perrine Delacour (FRA) (47) France 1 UP 9 Louise Kristersson (SWE) (2) Sweden
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