Charlotte Naughton got her season off to a great start with a runner-up finish in the R&A Girls’ U16 Amateur Championship at The Berkshire before finishing second in the St Rule Trophy at St Andrews.
In the R&A Girls’, Louise Landgraf held her nerve in a playoff to become the first French winner of the event as Longhirst Hall-based Charlotte charged through the field with the best score on the final day to force extra holes.
Louise narrowly edged the win with a par on the second playoff hole on the Red Course at The Berkshire, taking the Angela Uzielli Trophy after the leading pair finished the three-round event tied on eight under-par scores of 211. Louise and Charlotte set a new 54-hole championship scoring record, with Charlotte shooting a four under-par 69 in the final round to force the playoff.
“Going into the last round five off the lead, my first goal was to hold onto second place,” said Charlotte. “I kept picking up shots, and by the time we got to the last six holes I was really closing the gap. I hit a great shot on 18 and knew I had to hole the birdie putt, which I did. I really wanted to win the playoff, but I was a bit nervous with my first putt and left it short. I was super happy with how I played though, and it’s a good result to take into the rest of the summer.”
At the St Rule Trophy, Charlotte finished just two shots behind Sweden’s Elice Fredriksson with a 13 under-par total after two rounds on the New Course and a final-round 71 on the Old Course. While she was second overall in the women’s event, Charlotte led the field by 13 shots in The Lawson Trophy for players aged under-18.
Following her GCSE exams, Charlotte will have a busy summer of events in the UK and across Europe. “I’m looking forward to County Match Week with Northumberland, and events like the English Girls’ U16s at Tandridge. If I can keep my performances up, hopefully I’ll be picked for the Junior Vagliano and European teams too – fingers crossed.”
Charlotte will also compete in this year’s R&A Junior Open, which brings together one under-16 boy and girl from each of the golfing nations affiliated to The R&A at Kilmarnock (Barassie) July 15-17.
“I feel like my game is in a good place, I’ve got some confidence from my early results this year, and I’m looking forward to playing all the biggest events this summer.”
