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Friday, May 01, 2009

Teenager Hannah Barwood to

defend English women's title

Teenager Hannah Barwood, pictured left by Cal Carson Golf Agency in action during last weekend's "Helen Holm" tournament at Troon, will defend her title when the English women’s close championship is played at Lindrick in Yorkshire from May 12-16.
Hannah, from Knowle in Gloucestershire, was 17-years-old and one of the youngest-ever English champions when she won the 2008 title at another Yorkshire course, Ganton.
This year, another host of youngsters will be among the 79 competitors challenging for the title. The field includes 11 players aged under 18, together with many more in their late teens and early 20s.
The youngest competitor is 14-year-old Emily Taylor of Royal Lytham & St Annes while Lindrick’s two representatives include 15-year-old Sophie Godley. Both girls are members of the English Women’s Golf Association Select North squad.
Altogether there will be 13 Yorkshire players and two of them – Emma Brown (Malton and Norton) and Naomi Edwards (Ganton) – are past winners of this championship.
Naomi holds the lowest handicap in the field. She plays off plus-four and will be joined by another 13 players who boast plus-handicaps, while seven more are off scratch.
Naomi is one of several England internationals and girl internationals – and a number of them are clearly in-form as the championship approaches. Defending champion Hannah Barwood won the U21 title at the Faldo Series Asia Final in China; Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) is the new French open U18 champion; and Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton) won the Hampshire Rose and was leading amateur in the Roehampton Gold Cup.
The championship has attracted the support of two Nottingham-based companies. Beissbarth UK, the automotive service equipment specialists, will sponsor the scoreboard, provided by Golftext. Weavers, the independent wine merchants, will sponsor the English Women’s Golf Association reception held during the championship.
Lindrick Golf Club is regarded as one of Yorkshire’s finest championship courses and has hosted the Ryder Cup and the Curtis Cup among many other events, including the Ladies’ British Open, the English County Finals and the Ladies’ British Amateur.
For this event, the ladies’ course has been lengthened by 586yd to 6358yd. It has a par of 72. All competitors will play 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying before the top 32 players go forward to the match-play knock-out stages. The final will be played on the morning of Saturday, May 16.
Lyndsey Hewison
Press Officer
English Women's Golf Association

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