Surrey’s Lottie Woad and Northumberland’s Rachel Gourley became the seventh all-female pairing to win the Sunningdale Foursomes when the amateur England squad duo captured the famous championship after beating professional duo James Ruth and Paul Hendriksen 6&5 in the final.
The 88th renewal of the historic team matchplay tournament attracted 128 pairings, with Woad and Gourley, aged 18 and 17 respectively, being the only all-female combination. The talented teenage pairing, who are both studying at colleges in the States, enjoyed a virtual armchair ride to the final, breezing through their opening two games in impressive style, securing 6&5 and 7&6 wins to book themselves into the last 32.
Lottie Woad in action during the final of the Sunningdale Foursomes on Sunday
From there, a 3&1 win followed before their closest game against Surrey tour professionals Adam Gee and James Heath yielded a 2-up victory in Woad and Gourley’s favour.
In the quarter-final, the duo defeated Thalia Kirby and Jake Ayres 3&2, before they booked their places in the final with a 2&1 victory over Kent amateurs Ed Richardson and Tom Sherreard.
The final, which was played in heavy rain, was nip and tuck in the early exchanges, with Woad and Gourley getting off to a fast start when taking the opening two holes. However, Ruth and Hendriksen, who were giving away 10 shots to their amateur rivals, fought back, producing a birdie and a par at the 3rd and 4th to tie the match up. The girls received shots on the next three holes and took full advantage to get back to three up after seven, and with Ruth and Hendriksen winning the eighth, it wasn’t until the par-4 9th that the first hole was halved as Woad and Gourley duo took a 2-up lead into the back nine.
The weather conditions deteriorated as the final progressed, leading to ground staff having to clear standing water off the greens before the players putted. But that didn’t put off Woad and Gourley, who won four holes on the bounce from the 10th, with the latter rolling in a 10-footer for birdie on the 13th to claim the title 6&5 – the first all-women pairing to do so since 1997.
Gourley, who plays at Arcot Hall and has represented England all at levels since making her debut against Spain in 2019, said: “It’s been a long week with a lot of holes, but we’re delighted. It’s a big event to win. We’ve teamed up together for England before, so know each other’s game so well. We both hit it the same distance with a draw.”
Woad, who is a member at Farnham Golf Club, said: “We are both very happy. Looking at the names who have won it before we are in good company. This year there were loads of great pairs and obviously we are very happy to come out on top. We had some great matches.”
Ruth summed up the task that faced them in the final: “We played pretty good, but Lottie and Rachel are two great players and I don’t think Rahm and McIlroy would have beaten them today!”
Rachel and Lottie’s route to the final
Final: James Ruth (China Fleet) & Paul Hendriksen (Ivy Bridge) 6&5
Semi-final: Ed Richardson (Redlibbets) & Tom Sherreard (Kingshill) 2&1
Quarter-final: Thalia Kirby (Harleyford) & Jake Ayres (Foxhills) 3&2
Last 16: Adam Gee (Real Golf) James Heath (The Wisley) 2 holes
3rd Rd: Rob Watson (Porters Park) & James Ruebotham (Welwyn Garden City) 3&1
2nd Rd: Ben Kerr (Royal Worlington & Newmarket) & Jake Plumb (Gog Magog) 7&6
1st Rd: John Kennedy (Frilford Heath) & Millie Anderson (Badgemore Park) 6&5
For all the scores click here
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