Seventh county triumph for Julie

May 4 2009 by Tim Taylor, The Journal

JULIE Ross won the Northumberland Ladies Championship for the seventh time yesterday – at the age of 28 – at sun-kissed and breezy Ponteland.

While not always hitting the form which brought her international selection for England, Whitley Bay’s Ross provided some illustrations of the gritty side of matchplay golf in the final.

Blessed with a languid and rhythmic swing, Ross, with another member of her club, Peter Patterson, caddying for his fourth champion, beat Gosforth’s Nikki Hunter 4&3 to retain the title.

Hunter, who has one of the widest smiles in golf and a brisker looking action off the tee, had a chance for a first-hole lead but missed with a 10ft putt.

They were still all square going into the fourth, where Ross fired so far wide of the trees on the right, she hit a provisional before finding her ball.

From stubby rough, she lofted a 60-yard sand wedge so close to the flag, it gave her a gimme and a lead Hunter nullified at the next hole.

At seven, again still all square, Ross saved a half in much the same way, except this time from behind the green as, with her ball splattered with mud, she stiffed a 45ft lob wedge.

A 16ft putt enabled Ross to take eight. Again, Hunter wiped out the lead at the next hole and it was still all square after 10.

Hunter had to concede at the 11th then suddenly a match which had been so close turned one way. Ross, having taken the lead for the third time, got to grips with her previously her errant driving.

“I have not been able to practice as much over the past 18 months now my student days are over and I’m working full-time,” she said.

But when it all clicked, Hunter was crushed as Ross won three out of four in what turned out to be the last four holes.

The vital ingredients were booming straight drives of 267 yards and 227 yards at 12 and 13 and, after 14 was halved, a 25ft bump-and-run from the rough by the side of the green to set up victory.

The same golfers contested last year’s final at Matfen Hall, where the flow of the contest was much the same, hard fought on the front nine with Ross pulling away down the stretch.

After six rounds of golf in three days, Ross said: “I am absolutely knackered and a couple of horse-bites drained my energy a bit, but it’s always a good feeling to win.”

l FORMER Ryder Cup player Thomas Levet dedicated victory to Seve Ballesteros after lifting the Spanish Open trophy in Girona.

Levet fought off a succession of challenges to claim his fifth European Tour title – a record for a French player – by two strokes from Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti.

Hartlepool’s Graeme Storm finished 21 shots off the lead.