Arcot Hall’s Rachel Gourley got her 2022 season off to a winning start – teaming up with Lottie Woad to win the Sunningdale Foursomes.
The 88th edition of the event – which traditionally opens the English season each March – brought together 128 pairs with Rachel and Lottie winning seven matches over five days. In the final, the England Girls internationals produced a dominant 6&5 win over professionals James Ruth and Paul Hendriksen.
“To win an event as big as the Sunningdale Foursomes to start the season is amazing,” said Rachel. “It’s good to know I can play good golf right to the end of a very tiring week in some tough conditions.
“It was a lot of fun to partner Lottie. We were foursomes partners at under-16 level and it was good to be able to team up again. We play a lot of golf together – though she may be sick of me now after staying with her family and playing so much golf in one week.”
The only all-female pairing in this year’s tournament, Rachel and Lottie only needed to play the 18th hole once all week – winning their matches 6&5, 7&6, 3&1, 2up, 3&2, 2&1 and 6&5.
Past winners of the Sunningdale Foursomes include Joyce Wethered, Dai Rees, Max Faulkner, Peter Alliss, Sir Michael Bonallack, Peter Oosterhuis, Sam Torrance, Ronan Rafferty, Chubby Chandler, Luke Donald, Ross Fisher and Charley Hull – while the likes of Ryder Cup players David Howell and Paul McGinley have also taken part.
Meanwhile, Rachel will represent England in the Scottish Girls’ Open at Irvine Golf Club from April 6-8 as well as the French Under 21 Girls’ Championship at Golf de St Cloud April 14-18 alongside Close House’s Maggie Whitehead.
“There’s a lot to look forward to in my last year of junior golf,” added Rachel, who will begin her college golf career with Auburn University in Alabama in September. “I’ll be playing in a lot of events and representing England internationally too – there’s a lot of exciting tournaments to come.”
