Italians dominate at British Girls' Amateur

Championship at Panmure

Thursday 15 August 2019

Former champion Emilie Paltrinieri will face the highest-ranked player in the field, Alessia Nobilio, in an all-Italian third round match at the centenary R and A British Girls’ Open Amateur Championship at Panmure tomorrow.

Paltrinieri, who lifted the trophy at Royal St David’s in 2016 and defeated the 2017 champion Lily May Humphreys in this morning’s round, came through a tough match in blustery, windy conditions against another Italian, Carolina Melgrati, to secure her berth in tomorrow’s third round.

Friendly fued

The German Girls’ Open champion was two up early in the match but, as is so often the case in match play, struggled to see off her opponent. Melgrati holed a 25ft putt on the 17th but Paltrinieri responded by holing a 15ft putt of her own to take the match down the last. A par on the 18th was enough to secure the win and a match against her friend Nobilio, who is ranked sixth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and will join her at UCLA next year.

“I started really well and went two and three up but then in the last holes I had some problems,” said Nobilio. “I’m happy about my game and I will just try to do my best every match.

On facing her friend and teammate she said “It may be a bit harder tomorrow because I have known her (Nobilio) for many, many years and it is not just like you are playing a girl from abroad. It is different but it will be a lot of fun.”

Nobilio playing her best golf

Having led the qualifying, Nobilio maintained her rich vein of form against Spain’s Ana Amalia Pina Ortega and clinched the match in style, holing from 20ft on the 16th for a 4&2 win. Earlier Nobilio saw off Lisa Marie Schumacher of Germany by 3&2.

“I’m not thinking about the person I’m playing against, I’m just going to play my best golf for myself, Said Nobilio. “It won’t be different tomorrow. We are just going to enjoy our match. We are all really good friends in our team so it will be a great match I’m sure.”

Other results

Burnham and Berrow’s Euphemie Rhodes came through a close match against Aine Donegan from Lahinch with a one-hole win and tomorrow will face another Irish player, Anna Foster from Elm Park, who dispatched Thalia Kirby from Stoke Park by 2 and1.

Pia Babnik emerged victorious over Rachel Gourley from Arcot Hall on the 22nd hole. The Slovenian will face Kirsty Rudgeley from Australia in the next round after she notched up a 2&1 win over Adela Cernousek from France.

Darcey Harry from the Vale Resort in Wales enjoyed a fine 3&2 triumph over Marloes van den Brink from the Netherlands.

The Girls’ Amateur Championship was first played in 1919 and celebrates its centenary this year. Four former Girls’ Amateur Champions were named in the European Solheim Cup team this week: Georgia Hall, Suzann Pettersen, Anna Nordqvist and Azahara Munoz.

The winner of this year’s championship will receive exemptions into the 2020 Women’s Amateur Championship at Kilmarnock (Barassie) and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship.