Ganton, England: Helen Briem became the first German to win The R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship in its 104-year history as England’s Kris Kim claimed the Boys’ Amateur Championship trophy at Ganton.
Briem, ranked 10th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), won the 36-hole Final of the 94th Girls’ Amateur Championship by a record 12&10 margin against Spain’s Martina Navarro Navarro.
“It means a lot to me to win. It was my last individual junior tournament so it’s nice to end my junior career like that and I’m really happy. I just played solidly and didn’t make many mistakes so it was good,” said Briem, a member of the European Golf Association team that defeated the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation in the Patsy Hankins Trophy at La Manga in Spain at the start of the month.
Briem gains exemptions into Final Qualifying for the AIG Women’s Open, The R&A Women’s Amateur Championship, the US Girls’ Junior Championship and, by tradition, an invitation to compete at the Augusta National Women's Amateur Championship.
Briem capitalised on a slow start from Navarro Navarro to win the first two holes of the match and she moved to three-up with a birdie four at the sixth.
The 18-year-old German’s only blemish on the front nine came with an untidy double-bogey at the par-five seventh to lose the hole but she won three of the next four holes to move to five-up by the 11th.
A birdie three at the 14th extended Briem’s lead to six holes. Navarro Navarro struggled to find a way back into the match and lost the last three holes of the morning round to leave Briem with a commanding nine-up lead.
The 15-year-old Spanish girl had a mountain to climb in the afternoon and it got a little higher when Briem won the 20th to go 10-up. Navarro Navarro did manage to win the 21st when Briem three-putted from the front of the green but she bogeyed the 22nd to fall back again.
Briem turned up the pressure with three consecutive birdies from the 24th and when Navarro Navarro’s 10-foot putt slipped by the hole at the 26th it left Briem with a tap in to seal a dominant 12&10 victory.
Briem said: “Honestly, during the first nine holes it was quite tight but then I got more defensive on the back nine of the first round. That nine really helped me.
“It’s important to avoid high numbers. You can play a bogey but you have to try to avoid double-bogeys and play more defensively. Green, two putt and next hole – that was my strategy and today it worked out pretty well.
“I’m excited for Final Qualifying (at the AIG Women’s Open) as I really wanted to play this year but I couldn’t so it’s really nice to make it. I think I can take a lot from this week strategy-wise. Usually I play more aggressively but maybe I should play a little more defensively in future.”
Meanwhile, Kim came out on top at the 38th hole in the closely contested Final of the 96th Boys’ Amateur Championship against Alex Papayoanou.
Kim gains an exemption into Final Qualifying for The Open as well as a range of prestigious amateur championships.
