Northumberland-based 15-year-old Charlotte Naughton picked up two foursomes wins on her England debut as the mixed under-16 team beat Spain in their annual head-to-head at Hunstanton Golf Club.
The challenge match, which brings together teams of four boys and four girls, saw England win for just the second time in eight occasions – completing a 16-8 victory on the east coast.
Charlotte, a member at Ponteland Golf Club, won both her foursomes matches alongside Chloe Tarbard – triumphing 2&1 on day one and 5&4 on day two. She was also narrowly beaten on the 18th in day one’s singles matches.
“The whole experience was so much fun and I learned so much playing at this level for the first time,” said Charlotte, who progressed through the Futures and England Regional squads into the national side.
“I really enjoyed the team atmosphere, the tactics that went into the matches, and getting into the England Golf system of preparing and playing. I learned a lot about preparing, like mapping the course, and I’m looking forward to using what I learned in tournaments this summer.
“I enjoyed every minute of it, including teaming up with Chloe and working so well together. Hopefully I’ll get to do it again.”
Winner of the English Girls’ Under 14 Open Championship in 2022, Charlotte added: “The pressure towards the end of the matches was different, but I think I did well playing under that pressure for the first time.
“I’ve got a lot to look forward to this summer with lots of under-16 events in England and Scotland. I want to put myself in contention as much as possible in my first full year in the under-16s, then we’ll see how things go.”
Charlotte was joined in the team by Sadie Adams (Royal Birkdale), Matilde Santilli (Foxhills), Chloe Tarbard (Royal Norwich), Ben Bolton (Enville), Kris Kim (Walton Heath), Cameron Mukherjee (Gullane Golf Club) and Jack Swift (North Foreland).
