R and A BRITISH GIRLS AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Alessia Nobilio turns on the style to lead qualifiers at 

Panmure Golf Club 

 

Alessia Nobilio showed why

she is the highest-ranked

player in the field for the

centenary R and A Girls’

Amateur Championship with

a sterling performance at

Panmure today to finish as

the leading qualifier for the

match-play stage.

Nobilio, pictured, who hails from Milan, compiled a six-under-

par round of 65 to move to 11-under-par for the

championship and secure her place in the last 64, one shot

ahead of her nearest rival, Lucie Malchirand from France.

 

Sixth in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Nobilio did not drop a shot in the two stroke-iplay rounds and four birdies in her opening six holes in benign conditions at the challenging Angus links this morning set her well on her way.

The winner of the Italian Ladies Stroke Play Championship and the Citta di Milano Trofeo Gianni Albertini as well as a member of the winning Continent of Europe Vagliano Team in June picked up further shots on the 10th and 11th to coast home.

Malchirand, who led after the first round, also made a fast start with birdies at her opening two holes and eased to a three-under-par 68 for a ten-under-par total.

Roehampton’s Annabell Fuller, a member of the Great

Britain and Ireland Vagliano Trophy team, racked up five

consecutive birdies from the 6th and bounced back from

dropped shots on the 14th and 15th with a birdie on the

17th to card a five-under-par 66 which left her in third

position on six-under-par overall.

Slovenia’s Pia Babnik, the Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open Champion, qualified comfortably with a three-under-par total of 139 following a one-over-par 72, two shots clear of Germany’s Christin Eisenbeiss.

Broomieknowe’s Hannah Darling qualified as the leading Scot on level par after a two-over-par 72. The two-time Scottish Girls’ Amateur Champion traded four birdies with six bogeys.

The cut fell at nine-over-par with former champions Emilie Paltrinieri and Lily May Humphries qualifying on three-over and seven-over respectively.

Key quotes:

Alessia Nobilio

“I’m very confident with my game right now because I have made two very low scores but we all know that match play is completely different. You have to be focused on the course but also on the person you are playing against so it will be tough. We are all very good players and it will be a very good contest between us.”

Lucie Malchirand

“My game was very nice today. I just missed some irons and that’s why I made some mistakes that I didn’t make yesterday. It’s nice to have qualified. I finished second before the cut and my objective is achieved so I’m really happy. Now it’s a new championship with new objectives and so I just have to change everything.”

Annabell Fuller

“I came straight back from America so I just wanted to play two solid rounds and get into the match play. It was good to build some confidence and it shows that I can play well round this golf course and hit good shots. Match play is completely different. You can go for more things and be a bit more aggressive here and there so it will be a lot of fun.”

The qualifiers will each be looking to follow in the footsteps of the four past champions in this event who were named in the European Solheim Cup team this week: Georgia Hall, Suzann Pettersen, Anna Nordqvist and Azahara Munoz.

Each match will consist of one round of 18 holes including Saturday’s final. The winner will receive exemptions into the 2020 Womens Amateur Championship at Kilmarnock (Barassie) and the Augusta National Womens Amateur Championship.

Scoring from The R&A Girls Amateur Championship will be available at www.randa.org/Championships. Follow The R&A on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for updates on social media.

Admission and parking are free of charge for spectators visiting Panmure.