Cream rises to the top at Woodbrook
Paula Grant (Lisburn). Picture: Fran Caffrey | Golffile
The cream rose to the top in the Irish Women's Close Championship at Woodbrook as the top four qualifiers all made it to Sunday's semi-finals.
Clandeboye's Jessica Ross, the leading qualifier and Leitrim Cup winner, beat Kilkenny's Jan Browne and then Elm Park's Anna Foster by 4&3 and now faces Lurgan's Annabel Wilson in the last four.
Two-time Irish Girls' champion Wilson beat Ballinrobe's Shannon Burke by one hole in a close encounter and now has the opportunity to add the senior title to her resumé.
Castlewarden's Lauren Walsh will take on two-time Close champion Paula Grant in her first semi-final match in an Irish Close of any description, just four days after she completed her Leaving Cert Physics paper.
"I think just going out with no expectations, knowing I want to enjoy being out here and that I don't have to go home to the books afterwards is great," she said. "The break has given me an appreciation for being out on the course more than anything else, so I feel quite relaxed.
Walsh had to get up and down on the 18th to secure her win over Tramore's Anna Dawson.
"I played really well, birdied the first to get off to a nice start. Between us, we had a lot of birdies. I birdied 14, she birdied 15, I birdied 16, and she birdied 17, so it was just one of those matches, we didn't really halve many holes. It was close all the way. I held a few clutch putts towards the end to keep it going.”
Grant's bid for a third Irish Close title is still intact as she beat 14-year-old Corrina Griffin from Killarney by one hole. She admitted to not having her best stuff but still came through is a testament to her consistency.
The semi-final line up of Ross, Wilson, Grant and Walsh marks the unique situation where all four qualified as the top four players following the 36 holes of stroke play on Thursday.
The Ita Wallace Trophy Final was contested for by Elm Park's Emma Fleming Douglas' Clodagh Coughlan.
Fleming, who beat Grange's Emma Fenlon in the morning semi-final, got off to the perfect start, winning the first three holes. Coughlan began to battle back but ultimately ran out of holes and Fleming won the trophy by 2&1.
The Championship semi-final matches begin at 8:30 am on Sunday and entry is free to all at Woodbrook near Bray.
Irish Women’s Close Championship, Woodbrook
Round two
J Ross bt J Browne 4&3;
A Foster bt B Coulter 3&2;
A Wilson bt E Metcalfe 3&2;
S Burke bt R Thompson 3&2;
P Grant bt C Casey 5&4;
C Griffin bt N McSherry 3&2;
L Walsh bt S Phillips 3&2;
A Dawson bt L Coffey 1 Hole.
Quarter-Finals
J Ross bt A Foster 4&3;
A Wilson bt S Burke 1 Hole;
P Grant bt C Griffin 1 Hole;
L Walsh bt A Dawson 1 Hole.
Today, Semi-finals
08:30 Jessica Ross v Annabel Wilson;
08:38 Paula Grant v Lauren Walsh
Ita Wallace Plate
Semi-finals
E Fleming bt E Fenlon 4&3;
C Coughlan bt H Hall 7&5.
Final
E Fleming bt C Coughlan 2&1.
