KirkwoodGolf

Wednesday, July 27, 2016



            Consistent Bel leads English girls’ championship by four 

Cheshire’s Bel Wardle beat par for the second successive day to lead the English girls’ open amateur championship by four shots at the halfway stage. 
Wardle, an England girl international, is three under-par after two rounds on the Championship course at The Nottinghamshire, adding today’s two-under 71 to her opening 72. 
“I can’t believe it!” said the 16-year-old from Prestbury, who was thrilled with her consistency, insisting “I’ve never been able to keep it together for two rounds.” 
Wardle (image © Leaderboard Photography) gave the credit to a great deal of hard work, both on her fitness and with her swing coach, Richard Green of Bramhall. “That, paired with the fitness, means my game has got much better.”
Today, she put thoughts of her first round firmly out of her mind and concentrated on driving the ball well and putting herself in good positions to make her five birdies. Her round opened and closed with a birdie and others included a chip-in in the 11th. “That put me two-under and gave me a bit of a spur on. 
“I just tried to keep it simple and stroke the putter nicely,” she said. 
Wardle’s closest rivals are a group of four players on one-over par: Harriet Allsebrook (Shifnal), Olivia Hamilton (Cleckheaton & District), Alice Barlow (Newton Green) and Dubai-based Scot Alison Muirhead. 
Allsebrook is a past winner of the English U15 championship and, after a period of injury, is enjoying being back in contention.  “I played solid, nothing exciting, but I’m quite happy with my game,” she said, after returning one-over 74 today. 
Hamilton and Murihead played together today and, said Hamilton: “We bounced off each other all the way round. We were trying to encourage each other and wanted to have a fun, friendly game.” 
The shot of the day was played by 11-year-old Boh Greenwood of Rossendale in Lancashire who had a hole in one on the 140-yard 12th where she hit an eight-iron. 
The halfway cut fell on 14-over and 41 players qualified to play the final 36 holes tomorrow. 
Click here for full scores


Lyndsey Hewison
Press Officer
England Golf

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