Jodi's Double Joy

Sep 4 2008 The Journal

Yorkshire's Jodi Ewart won the English women's strokeplay championship for the second year running at The Berkshire. The Catterick Golf Club star defeated Hampshire's Liz Bennett in a four-hole sudden death play-off to successfully defend her title after the two Curtis Cup players had tied on three-under par at the end of 72 holes of regulation play.

Jodi, who has just completed the second year of a golfing scholarship at the University of New Mexico in the US and won her first title at Silloth last year, said: "This is incredible, it's got to be my best individual win.

"It was wonderful to win last year but the field is much better this year and so it's more special."

The 20-year-old also won the Under-21 and Under-23 trophies.

However, with one round to play the outcome of the championship had looked very different. Another Curtis Cup player, Lancashire's Florentyna Parker, who had been in front from the first day, had extended her lead over the field to seven shots.

She was on eight-under par while her four closest challengers were on one-under. Alongside Jodi and Bennett (Brokenhurst Manor) were English champion Hannah Barwood (Knowle) and Kerry Smith (Waterlooville).

Jodi added: "I didn't think I had a chance. To be honest I went out to play for second place."

Parker was still seven-under at the turn and well clear of the field but her lead fell away on the back nine as she dropped a series of shots and she eventually came in with an 80 and a level par total for the tournament.

Bennett took the clubhouse lead when she returned a final round 70 for a total of three-under par while Jodi, who knew the situation, birdied the 17th to get to four-under but then dropped a shot at the 18th, where her approach found a greenside bunker.

The two golfers returned to the course for the sudden death play-off and halved holes one, two and 17 in par before coming to the 399-yard 18th where Jodi took the title with a textbook four.

It proved a remarkably successful event all round for the North East as Jodi's friend Ellie Givens, who plays out of Blackwell Grange in Darlington, secured third place after rounds of 73, 74, 72 and 69.

Heworth's Faye Sanderson was 27th on a combined score of 308 while Matfen Hall's Lisa Ball was joint 30th on +23.

Middlesbrough's Ellie Robinson, Saltburn's Kim Crooks, Ami storey (Ponteland), Laura Harvey (Richmond) and Lauren Smith (Arcot Hall) missed the cut.

Jodi also made her debut in a European Tour event at Machynys Peinsula Golf Club in Wales.

She was one of only two amateurs to make the cut at the S4c Wales Championship of Europe after rounds of 72 and 74. However the third round was washed out and a final round score of 74 meant that she finished tied for 54th place on four over.