Pitts wins Beds Ladies County Championship

Talented teenage golfer Annabel Pitts has won the Bedfordshire Ladies County Championship for the first time.
Annabel Pitts with the Beds Ladies Championship Trophy PNL-161105-140528002Annabel Pitts with the Beds Ladies Championship Trophy PNL-161105-140528002
Annabel Pitts with the Beds Ladies Championship Trophy PNL-161105-140528002

The event at John O’Gaunt last week comprised 36 holes of medal play with the top 16 qualifying to play knockout scratch 18 hole matchplay.

Annabel, a 17-year-old Beadlow Manor Junior, overcame an inauspicious Thursday morning round to equal the score of the day after lunch with a one over par 75 to see her qualify from the strokeplay phase, to play Nicola Morris from the home club in the round of 16.

A tough encounter followed on the Friday morning with Pitts finally coming through on the second extra hole to set up a quarter final in the afternoon against John O’Gaunt’s Laura Collin. Pitts was always in control of a match which she won by 5&4.

In the semi-final on Saturday morning Pitts came up against Bethany Healey from Bedford & County who was one up on the 14th.

But the Beadlow youngster was not to be denied her second successive final, and a great par putt on the 16th saw the match back to all-square, and another par on the 17th saw Pitts go one up and she held on to win.

In the final against Stephanie Scott of Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands, Pitts lost the first two holes but worked her way back to be one up by the ninth. A great bunker shot on the 10th to secure birdie confirmed the momentum shift, which saw Pitts ease to victory by 5&4.

Pitts will now represent Bedfordshire in the first Ladies Champion of Champions competition at Woodhall Spa.