OLIVIA COWAN WINS SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE

TITLES WITHIN A FEW WEEKS OF EACH OTHER

Olivia Cowan, daughter of a Germany-based pro from Liverpool, today followed up her capture of the Portuguese women's amateur title by annexing the Spanish women's championship at Pineda Golf Club, Seville, writes Colin Farquharson

Olivia, pictured with the trophy, educated at a German school and a fluent speaker of the language, lists Germany as her home country for international golf - and she is a certain starter for the Continent of Europe against Great Britain and Ireland in the Vagliano Trophy nine-a-side match at Malone Golf Club, Belfast in June.
Cowan, born in Germany of English parents, explains her dual nationality: “My dad, Andrew Cowan, is a pro at Babarossa. I used to be a member there but I changed this year to Golfclub St. Leon-Rot which is an hour away. The training facilities are so good there that I decided to change. I’m from Kaiserslautern in the south west of Germany, near Frankfurt. I consider myself English but I play for Germany.”
Olivia beat the defending champion Linnea Strom (Sweden), another very likely to be named to play against GB and I, by 2 and 1 in today's final.
Storm birdied the eighth to get back to all square but three-putted the 10th and 12th and was two down on the 13th tee.
Holes 13 to 17th were halved, leaving Cowan the champion.
Earlier in the tournament, Olivia beat England's Sophie Lamb and Alice Hewson.