The Women's Amateur Championship, previously known as the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship, was founded in 1893 by the Ladies' Golf Union. It is organised by The R&A, which merged with the Ladies' Golf Union in 2017. Until the dawn of the professional era in 1976, it was the most important golf tournament for women in Great Britain, and attracted players from continental Europe, North America, and the rest of the world. Along with the U.S. Women's Amateur, it is considered the highest honour in women's amateur golf.
The championship is contested in two phases. It begins with a 36-hole stroke play competition, played over two days. The leading 64 competitors progress to the knock-out match play competition, ties for 64th place being decided by countback. From 1966 up to 2020, all matches in the knock-out phase were played over 18 holes, but from 2021 the final has been played over 36 holes.
Prizes
The "Pam Barton Memorial Salver" is awarded to the winner to be held for one year, as the actual Championship Cup is held by the Ladies' Golf Union. The runner-up receives The Diana Fishwick Cup. The leading qualifier receives the Doris Chambers Trophy. If two or more players are tied, the result is decided on countback, the player with the lowest second round score being the winner.
History
Pre-World War I
In late 1892 several members of Wimbledon Ladies Golf Club contacted other ladies' clubs, in hopes of forming a ladies' golf union and holding a ladies' championship. The men's Amateur Championship had been held since 1885. Independently the Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, who had not been sent the circular, also decided to organise a ladies' championship.
The two clubs combined their efforts in the Ladies' Golf Union,[1] holding their first championship from Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 June 1893 [2][3] on the ladies' links of the Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, a 9-hole course, then at Mayfield Road.[4] There were 38 entries, requiring 6 knock-out rounds. Two rounds were played per day with the semi-finals and final played on the Thursday.[5] All matches were over 18 holes, with extra holes played to ensure a result. The winner received a championship cup valued at 50 guineas, and a gold medal. The runner-up received a silver medal, and the other semi-finalists received bronze medals. Lady Margaret Scott beat Issette Pearson in the final by a score of 7&5.[6]
The 1894 championship was held in May at Littlestone-on-Sea in Kent. May became the regular month for the championship to be held, although sometimes it was held in early June. The event was extended to the Friday, with the quarter-finals and semi-finals played on the Thursday. The finalists were the same as in 1893, with Lady Margaret Scott winning again, but by a closer margin of 3&2.[7]
In 1895 the event was played at Royal Portrush. The semi-finals and final were played on the Friday, a format that was retained until the introduction of a 36-hole final in 1913. Lady Margaret Scott won for the third time, beating Emma Lythgoe 5&4 in the final.[8] The 1896 event at Hoylake produced a new winner, Amy Pascoe.[9] In 1897 the championship was held in Scotland for the first time, at Gullane. It produced the first Scottish winner, with the final between two sisters, Edith Orr beating Theodora 4&3.[10] The 1898 event at Great Yarmouth & Caister was won by Lena Thomson, the losing finalist in 1896. She beat Elinor Nevile 6&5 in the final.[11]
From 1899 to 1907 the championship was dominated by Irish women. May Hezlet won in 1899, 1902 and 1907 with Rhona Adair winning in 1900 and 1903. Four other Irish golfers were losing finalists, Jessie Magill in 1899, Florence Walker-Leigh in 1903, Maud Stuart in 1905 and Florence Hezlet, May's sister, in 1907. The 1899 event was held at County Down. May Hezlet met Magill in the final.[12] Magill had previously defeated Hezlet during the 1898 final of the Irish Women's Amateur Close Championship, but on this occasion May Hezlet had won the close championship the previous week and she repeated her success, winning 2&1.[13][14] She was less than two weeks past her 17th birthday.[12]
Rhona Adair won the following year at Westward Ho!, beating Isabel Nevile 6&5 in the final.[15]
The 1901 championship was held in Aberdovey in Wales, and was won by Molly Graham who beat Adair in the final.[16] May Hezlet won for the second time in 1902, beating Elinor Nevile at the 20th hole. Nevile was the sister of the 1900 runner-up Isabel Nevile. Grace Park, the wife of Mungo Park Jr. was one of the semi-finalists.[17] There were three Irish semi-finalists for the 1903 championship at County Down. Adair won for the second time.[18]
May Hezlet reached the final again in 1904 at Troon and met Lottie Dod. Dod was better known as a tennis player, having won the Wimbledon ladies' singles championship five times between 1887 and 1893. She had reached the semi-finals in 1898 and 1899 but this was her first final. In a close match Dod won by one hole.[19]
In 1905, at Royal Cromer, another Irish golfer, Maud Stuart, reached the final but lost 3&2 to Bertha Thompson.[20] 1906 was the first final since 1898 without an Irish lady. Thompson reached the final again but lost 4&3 to Alice Kennion, the first married woman to win the championship.[21] The 1907 championship was played at County Down and three Irish women reached the semi-finals. May Hezlet won for the third time, beating her sister Florence Hezlet 2&1 in the final.[22]
The 1908 championship was played on the Old Course at St Andrews. Maud Titterton met Dorothy Campbell in the final. It was the first final for both players, although both players had previously reached the semi-finals, Titterton in 1897 and Campbell in 1904, 1905 and 1906. Titterton won a close match at the 19th hole. The start of the final was delayed because Campbell had not won her semi-final until the 22nd hole.[23]
In 1913 the final at Lytham & St Annes was extended to 36-holes. It was played on a Friday, with the quarter and semi-finals played on the previous day. Canadian Violet Pooley was one of the semi-finalists.[28]Muriel Dodd beat Evelyn Chubb in the final. Dodd won five holes in a row from the 4th to the 8th holes of the morning round and eventually won 8&6.[29] Dodd was beaten in the semi-finals of the 1914 championship at Hunstanton.[30] The final was between Cecil Leitch and Gladys Ravenscroft. Ravenscroft had beaten Leitch in the semi-finals in 1912, but on this occasion Leitch won a close match 2&1, the morning round having finished all-square.[31]
Joyce Wethered made her first appearance at Turnberry in 1921. She and Leitch would dominate the event in the 1920s, meeting in the final in 1921, 1922 and 1925. They had also met in the final of the 1920 English Women's Amateur Championship, with Wethered winning. In the 1921 Women's Amateur Championship, the result was reversed. Leitch was 8 up with 9 holes to play and, although Wethered then won four holes in a row, Leitch won the match 4&3.[34]
When the pair met again in 1922 at Prince's, the morning round was close, with Wethered a hole ahead. However she dominated in the afternoon, eventually winning 9&7.[35] In 1923 Leitch was injured and Wethered was beaten in the semi-finals, leaving a final between Doris Chambers and Muriel Macbeth.[36][37] In the final, Macbeth was 3 up after the morning round but Chambers won the match at the 36th hole.[38]
In 1924, at Royal Portrush, Wethered and Leitch met in quarter-finals.[39] Wethered won 6&4 and went on to win her second title.[40] At Troon in 1925, Wethered and Leitch met in the final for the third time. The match was level after 18 holes and still level after 27. Wethered then took a two-hole lead before Leitch won the last holes to level the match. The match ended at the 37th hole with Wethered winning her third championship.[41]
The 1926 championship was due to be played in Harlech in May, but was postponed because of the general strike. The event was rearranged to June, although the Women's Home Internationals, which generally preceded the championship, were cancelled.[42]Joyce Wethered did not enter and Cecil Leitch won, the first woman to win the event four times.[43] A large number of the original entrants scratched, and the final was played a day earlier than usual, on a Thursday.[43]
Simone de la Chaume won the championship in 1927, the first French woman to do so. She had been a semi-finalist in 1926 and was also the first French winner of the Girls Amateur Championship, in 1924.[44] There was another French winner in 1928 when Manette le Blan won the title.[45]
The 1929 championship was played on the Old Course at St Andrews. Wethered came out of retirement to play and met the American, Glenna Collett, in the final. Collett had already won the U.S. Women's Amateur three times. The final created great public interest.[46] After 9 holes Collett led by 5 but her lead was reduced to 2 after the morning round. Wethered then won 7 of the first 9 holes in the afternoon to be 4 up and eventually won 3&1, her fourth win in the championship.[46]
Collett reached the final again at Formby in 1930 and met Diana Fishwick in the final. Fishwick was competing in the event for the first time, although she had won the Girls Amateur Championship in 1927 and 1928.[47] Fishwick led by 5 after the first round and eventually won 4&3.[47]
The format was changed at Portmarnock in 1931, with the introduction of stroke-play qualifying. Two rounds were played, on Saturday and Monday, with the leading 64 advancing to the match-play stage, which took place from Tuesday to Friday.[48]Enid Wilson led the qualifying by 8 strokes, after rounds of 75 and 83, with Wanda Morgan in second place.[49] The two met in the final with Wilson winning 7&6.[50] Wilson had been a semi-finalist three times previously and had won the English title in 1928 and 1930.
In 1932 at Saunton the qualifying days were changed to Friday and Saturday with the match-play played from Monday to Thursday. An American Maureen Orcutt led the qualifying with Wilson three strokes behind.[51] Orcutt was beaten in the first round: Wilson defeated another American Leona Cheney in the semi-finals[52][53] and retained the championship, winning by a score of 7&6.[54] In 1933 at Gleneagles, Wilson won the title for the third year in succession, having beaten Doris Park, in the semi-finals.[55][56][57]
The 1934 championship at Royal Porthcawl produced two new finalists with Helen Holm beating Pam Barton in the final.[58]Enid Wilson had been excluded from the event as she was deemed to have lost her amateur status.
In 1935, Pam Barton reached the final again, beating her sister Mervyn in the semi-finals, but lost, this time to Wanda Morgan.[59][60] In 1936 Bridget Newell led the qualifying and reached the final where she met Pam Barton.[61] Barton won the final 7&5 to win her first championship.[62] The 1937 championship was played at Turnberry. Bridget Newell had died just before the event, causing the Home Internationals to be cancelled. However, the championship continued as normal. There had been a reduction in the number of entries and qualifying was dropped, the event returning to the earlier Monday to Friday dates.[63] There was all-Scottish final, Jessie Anderson beating Doris Park 6&4.[64] Another Scot, Helen Holm, won for the second time in 1938.[65] Pam Barton won her second title in 1939 beating Jean Marks in the final at Royal Portrush.[66]
Post-World War II
The championship resumed at Hunstanton in 1946 but was not played until late in the year, finishing in early October. It was won by Jean Hetherington who beat Philomena Garvey in a close final.[67] The 1947 event was held in June and was won by Babe Zaharias, the first American winner.[68] There was an all-American semi-final in 1948 with Louise Suggs beating Dorothy Kielty and winning the title the following day.[69]
Frances Stephens won in 1949, beating Garvey in the semi-finals and another Irish woman, Clarrie Reddan, in the final.[70] Stephens reached four finals in six years from 1949 to 1954, winning again in 1954 but losing in 1951 and 1952. The Vicomtesse de St Sauveur, Lally Segard, won in 1950 beating Jessie Valentine, the 1937 champion, in the final.[71] 1950 also saw the first Australian semi-finalist, Judith Percy.
The 1951 championship was won by Kitty MacCann, the first Irish winner since 1907, while Moira Paterson won in 1952.[72][73] Garvey reached the final again in 1953 but lost to the Canadian Marlene Stewart.[74] Stewart reached the semi-finals the following year, 1954, but lost to Stephens at the 22nd hole. Stephens went on to win the title.[75]
Jessie Valentine won for the second time in 1955, 18 years after her first success, beating Barbara Romack in the final.[76] There were three American semi-finalists in 1956, and all-American final, with Wiffi Smith beating Mary Patton Janssen.[77]Philomena Garvey beat Valentine in the 1957 final, having twice lost in the final previously.[78] Valentine reached the final again in 1958, her third appearance in four years, and won the title for the third time.[79]Elizabeth Price won in 1959, having previously lost two finals.[80]
As in 1956, there were three American semi-finalists in 1960. Barbara McIntire beat Garvey in the final.[81]Marley Spearman won in 1961 and repeated her success in 1962, becoming the first woman to successfully defend the title since Enid Wilson in 1933.[82][83] From 1962 to 1966 the championship was played in late September or early October, returning to June from 1967.
French women had considerable success in the 1960s. Brigitte Varangot won in 1963, 1965 and 1968 while Catherine Lacoste won in 1969. In addition Claudine Cros-Rubin reached the final in 1968 and was a losing semi-finalist three times, in 1961, 1963 and 1965. The American Carol Sorenson won in 1964, beating Bridget Jackson at the 37th hole.[84]Liz Chadwick won successive titles in 1966 and 1967, matching Marley Spearman's achievement in 1961 and 1962.[85][86] In 1965 the championship finished in early October. The final was reduced from 36 to 18 holes. It was the first 18-hole final since 1912.[87]
Qualifying was reintroduced in 1966, for the first time since the 1930s. 36 holes were played on the Tuesday and Wednesday with the match-play on Thursday to Saturday. Originally it was intended that 64 players would qualify, but with the prospect of early morning fog, this was reduced to 32. The match-play draw was seeded.[88]
There were also 32 qualifiers in 1967, the final remaining at 18 holes even though it was the only match on the final day.[89] In 1968, bad weather reduced the qualifying to one round and, as a result, the number of qualifiers was increased to 64.[90][91] Lacoste led the qualifying in three of the first four years, 1966, 1967 and 1969, and went on to win the championship in 1969.[92]
In 1970, Dinah Oxley repeated Catherine Lacoste's achievement in 1969, leading the qualifying and then winning the championship, beating Belle Robertson in the final, Robertson's third loss in a final.[93][94]Beverly Huke nearly repeated the feat in 1971 but lost in the final to Mickey Walker.[95] At Hunstanton in 1972 the number of qualifiers was increased to 64, with the semi-final and final played on the same day. Walker retained her title beating Claudine Cros-Rubin in the final.[96][97] The number of qualifiers returned to 32 in 1973.[98] Walker
reached the final for the third successive year but lost to Ann Irvin.[99] The 1974 and 1975 championships were won by Americans, Carol Semple and Nancy Roth Syms.[100][101] There were 64 qualifiers in 1975 but the number again returned to 32, from 1976. In 1976, Alison Sheard was the first South African to reached the final, but she lost to Cathy Panton, the first Scottish winner for 18 years.[102]Angela Uzielli won in 1977 while Edwina Kennedy was the first Australian winner in 1978.[103][104] Kennedy led the qualifying in 1979 but lost to another Australian, Jane Lock in the semi-finals.[105] Lock was beaten by Maureen Madill in the final.[106]
In 2000, Rebecca Hudson led the qualifying, was top seed and won the championship, beating Emma Duggleby in the final.[128][129] She was top seed again in 2001 but lost in the second round.[130] She had her second win in 2002, her third final in four years.[131]
Continental European golfers dominated from 2001 to 2009. Five Spanish women won the championship in this period: Marta Prieto in 2001, Elisa Serramià in 2003, Belén Mozo in 2006, Carlota Ciganda in 2007 and Azahara Muñoz in 2009.[132][133][134][135][136] Ciganda led the qualifying in 2007, completing the double of being top seed and winning the event.[137] In 2009 Muñoz was joint leader in the qualifying but seeded second on countback.[138] Swedish women also had successes with Louise Stahle winning in 2004 and 2005, with Anna Nordqvist winning in 2008 after being runner-up in 2006 and 2007.[139][140][141] Stahle was the top seed when she won in 2005.[142]
At the start of 2017, the Ladies' Golf Union merged with The R&A, which took over the organisation of the championship. Leona Maguire won in 2017, beating Ainhoa Olarra in the final.[150]Leonie Harm beat Stephanie Lau in the 2018 final.[151] In 2019 the name of the event was changed from the "Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship" to "The Women's Amateur Championship". Emily Toy beat New Zealander Amelia Garvey in the final. The 2020 championship was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and was not played until late August. Qualifying was reduced to a single round. Aline Krauter beat Annabell Fuller in the final.[152] The format was revised in 2021 with the final extended from 18 to 36 holes. Louise Duncan beat Jóhanna Lea Lúðvíksdóttir 9&8 in the final, the first 36-hole final since 1964.[153]
Stroke-play qualifying was first used from 1931 to 1936.[48][63] 36 holes were played with the leading 64 advancing to the match-play stage. There was no seeding. In 1931 qualifying was on Saturday and Monday but was then moved to Friday and Saturday. The leading qualifiers in this period were:
Qualifying was reintroduced in 1966. Originally it was intended that 64 players would qualify but because of weather conditions, this was reduced to 32. The match-play draw was seeded.[88] The number of qualifiers remained at 32 in 1967.[89] In 1968, bad weather reduced the qualifying to one round and, as a result, the number of qualifiers was increased to 64, returning to 32 in 1969.[90][217] The number of qualifiers was generally 32, although in 1972, 1975, 1982 and 1988 it was increased to 64.[218] In 1990 the number of qualifiers was increased to 64 where it has remained.
+ Number one seed. If two or more players are tied, the seeding is decided on countback, the player with the lowest second round score being seeded higher. If players are still tied, the last 9 holes of the second round are used.
Host courses
The Women's Amateur Championship has been played at the following courses, listed in order of number of tournaments hosted (as of 2024):
