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Team USA won the PING Junior Solheim Cup for the fourth time in a row at Gleneagles, beating Europe 13-11 despite the hosts narrowly winning the singles. Picture by WME / IMG

EAM USA held off a spirited fightback by Europe to claim their fourth consecutive victory in the Ping Junior Solheim Cup with a 13-11 points triumph at Gleneagles.

The visitors took a 7½-4½ lead into Wednesday’s singles session after drawing the foursomes 3-3 and then convincingly winning the fourballs 4½-1½, and closed out the win when Brianna Navarrosa beat Somerset’s Mimi Rhodes (Burnham & Berrow GC) by one hole.

Earlier in the day, Scotland’s Hannah Darling (Broomieknowe GC) grabbed a half point when out first against Lucy Li, and wins for Surrey’s Annabell Fuller (Roehampton GC), Denmark’s Amalie Leth-Nissen and Slovakia’s Pia Babnik, who birdied four straight holes to win 2&1, narrowed the gap.

However, Rose Zhang stemmed the tide in match two, and triumphs for Amanda Sambach, Briana Chacon – who beat Essex’s Lily May Humphrey’s 6&4 – and then Navarrosa took the USA to the all-important 12 points needed to retain the trophy,

Christine Wang then made it 13 points when she beat Germany’s Paula Shulz-Hanssen in match 10.

American captain Mary Bea Porter-King said: “‘It was quite the victory, very close, it went up and down all day. They were ahead, then behind. I’m exhausted and I didn’t hit a shot.

“I’m very proud of my team, there wasn’t a whole lot I could do to help them – these young ladies are so talented, on both sides.

“I am so impressed to see the golf swings and how they play the game, which makes me feel good about the future of the game.”

Mickey Walker, who captained Europe in the first four Solheim Cups, and manged the continent’s girls team this week, said: “I’m incredibly proud of the European team.

“They’re very, very talented and we’ve had a wonderful time here. It’s been just amazing, one of the best experiences of my life,” added the former Essex club pro, who won six times on the Ladies European Tour and played in the 1972 Curtis Cup before turning pro.

“I think we were good enough to win, but we just missed out by virtue of a poor session in the afternoon yesterday.

“That’s what did for us. If you took the singles as a standalone competition, we won today,” Walker added.

“But we knew we needed to get eight-and-a-half points and we came up just short. It’s wrong to mention individuals because we really are a team.

“But Pia Babnik is the first-ever junior to play in this from Slovenia and beat Rachel Heck – an incredible scalp.

“Rachel’s one of the best American golfers and Pia is relatively inexperienced. The same for Lucie Malchirand beating Alexa Pano in the final match.

“So it augers very well for the future, and a lot of our team will still be young enough to play in two years’ time.”

•For the full scores click here.

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EUPHEMIE Rhodes claimed a place in the semi-finals of the centenary R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship, at Panmure, with an excellent victory over Italy’s Alessia Nobilio.

The 17-year-old Somerset teenager saw off the challenge of Nobilio, the highest-ranked player in the field at sixth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, with a high quality performance.

Seven different nations were represented in the quarter-finals with players from England, Slovenia, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Austria and two from Spain.

Rhodes, who finished fourth in the individual event in the European Girls’ Team Championship in Spain last month, raced out of the blocks, winning the first with a birdie three and took advantage of three consecutive bogeys from the 4th from Nobilio to move four up after six.

Nobilio, who was part of the winning Continent of Europe Vagliano Team in June, at Royal St George’s rallied with a birdie to win the 10th but dropped a shot at the next to slip back to four down.

Rhodes – a member of the England team crowned Ladies Home Internationals champions at Downfield earlier this month – ran into trouble on the 12th and conceded the hole to move back to three ahead.

The Burnham & Berrow player showed tremendous composure to almost hole her chip from a bank of thick rough to the right of the 15th green to secure a half and maintain her lead before securing a 3&2 victory at the next.

Rhodes will face Pia Babnik in Saturday’s semi-final after the 15-year-old Slovenian defeated Spain’s Carla Tejedo 2&1.

Rhodes said: “I just kept thinking about making pars, because out here in the wind it is really tough, and staying calm.

“I was thinking about hitting the fairway, hitting the green and taking two putts. If I bogeyed I wasn’t worried, I was thinking maybe birdie or par the next hole. The way I was chipping also really helped me.

“I have been through loads of stages like this where I haven’t kept calm and it’s been a bit stressful,” Rhodes added.

“So I have learned from past experiences to just keep calm. This would be my biggest win so far so I can’t even put it into words. I’m so excited.”

Tejedo won her first hole with a birdie but Babnik responded with a birdie of her own to win the second and was never behind from there.

Babnik, who won the Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open earlier this year, matched Tejedo’s birdie on the 16th to stay two up and sealed the match on the 17th with a half in par.

Babnk said: “It was a tough match. I needed to focus throughout. She was hitting it close and playing well all the round so I had to stay patient because I knew I could play well.

“I’m really happy to be in the semi-finals. I am trying to play match by match, hole by hole and will try to win again.”

Norway’s Mia Sandtorv Lussand took her place in the semi-finals after edging out Spain’s Carolina Lopez-Chacarra by one hole.

There was never more than one hole in it throughout the match with the Spanish player leading until the 15-year-old Lussand birdied the 11th to move to all square.

She edged ahead for the first time on the 15th and held on to her slender lead from there to secure her place against Austria’s Isabella Holpfer.

Lussand said: “I hit a lot of fairways and that gave me a lot of opportunities to make birdies and my putting was also good.

“I put a lot of long putts close to the hole and holed a few so my game was actually quite good.

“I was just thinking ‘I’m doing my best and whatever happens, happens’ so that helped me calm down.

“I stayed focused on what I was doing and not what the other player was doing. I’m very excited to be in the semi-finals.

“I didn’t expect that to be honest when I came here a few days ago so I’m very happy,” Lussand added.

Holpfer, who was runner-up in last year’s championship at Ardglass, was in control for most of her match against Sweden’s Louise Rydqvist, moving to two up after three holes.

The 18-year-old Swede fought back to all-square at the eighth, but Holpfer bounced back and moved back into the lead at the next when her opponent bogeyed.

Another bogey for Rydqvist at the 16th was enough for the girl from Vienna to clinch a 3&2 win.

Holpfer said “It feels really good because last year I was in the same position and now I have another chance so I’m really excited.

“There is still a lot of golf to be played so I will just stick to my game plan and take it one shot at a time and see what happens.

“It’s been pretty tough but I do a lot of fitness at home so I guess I’m well prepared,” Holpfer added.

“I’m really happy with my putting and I just try to keep my long game in play.

“I haven’t made many mistakes. I have just tried to keep the ball on the fairway and hit it as close as possible to the pin. I’m focused on the semi-final now,” said Holpfer.

In the morning’s third round, Rhodes edged out Anna Foster, from Elm Park, on the 18th green when the Irish girl’s four-foot par putt lipped out.

Nobilio trailed former champion and compatriot Emilie Paltrinieri by two holes after the 3rd but fought her way back into the match at the turn and eased to a 2&1 win.

Babnik was in control throughout her match against Australia’s Kirsten Rudgeley, and secured a 4&3 victory.

Holpfer was never behind in her match with Denmark’s Natacha Høst Husted and won by a 2&1 margin, while Sandtorv Lussand won by 3&2 against Germany’s Paula Schulz-Hanssen.

The Girls’ Amateur Championship was first played in 1919 and celebrates its centenary this year.

Four former Girls’ Amateur Champions were named in the European Solheim Cup team this week – Georgia Hall, Suzann Pettersen, Anna Nordqvist and Azahara Munoz.

The winner of this year’s championship will receive exemptions into Final Qualifying for the 2020 AIG Women’s British Open, the Women’s Amateur Championship at Kilmarnock (Barassie) and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship.

•For the full results click here. Follow The R&A on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for updates on social media.

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Pia Babnik

Slovenia’s Pia Babnik led from start to finish at the 2019 Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open Championship as a bogey-free round of 66 helped the youngster claim a seven-shot victory over France’s Charlotte Bunel.

With a three-shot lead going into Sunday’s final round, Babnik continued to play outstanding golf on the links at Royal Troon Old Course, picking up four shots in as many holes on the front nine in Ayrshire. Speaking to Scottish Golf after the prizegiving ceremony, Babnik said:

“Today it was a bit tougher out there compared to the other days. The wind was tricky but when I made my eagle, I just tried to keep making good shots. I didn’t make any mistakes and even though I knew I could win, I just wanted to focus on my own game.

Babnik’s win at Royal Troon boosts the Slovenian’s hopes of a return to Scotland in September with today’s win providing valuable PING Junior Solheim Cup points. Speaking to Scottish Golf following the prizegiving, Babnik admitted she would love to be back in Scotland later this year, adding:

“It would mean a lot to be part of the team, I came here to get qualification points for the PING Junior Solheim Cup and yeah, I won. For me, it would be a very special day to be part of the European team.”

Scotland’s Shannon McWilliam and Chloe Goadby were winners of the annual team event, taking home the Ladies’ Club Silver Salver. McWilliam also finished as the top Scot as this year’s event on six-under-par. Speaking to Scottish Golf, McWilliam said:

“It was another really good result for me today, I have finished in the top five at the Helen Holm quite a few times now and to win the team event with Chloe was really nice as well. It’s been a great week and one I will remember after making my fourth hole-in-one of my career at Royal Troon Portland on Friday.”

For a full list of results from this year’s Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open, please click the link
below:
> View latest scores from the 2019 Helen Holm

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