ELGA PRESS RELEASE

SUE DYE WINS ENGLISH

SENIORS' STROKE-PLAY
CHAMPIONSHIP AT NORTHUMBERLAND

By LYNDSEY HEWISON
ELGA Press Officer

Cheshire’s Sue Dye won the Senior Ladies’ English stroke-play championship by five shots at Northumberland Golf Club today.
“It’s just wonderful,” said the 51-year-old from Delamere Forest, runner-up in this event last year.
This time she led from start to finish and scored 73 in both rounds for a four-under par total of 146.
“I had a game plan to take it hole by hole, stroke by stroke,” said Sue. It worked, because she could find only two faults with her second-round play: an over-bold putt on the third and a missed putt from 18 inches on the 11th.
Her response was to re-engage her concentration and she finished her round with an impressive display of straight hitting and accurate pitching which set up birdies on two of the last three holes.
“I said to myself that if anyone beat me they would be welcome to the trophy because I’d played as well as I could. I am so chuffed that I kept it together,” said Sue, who is the reigning Northern Vets champion.
Her closest challenger was Ruth Lindley from Hartlepool, Durham. She also scored 73 in the second round and finished on one-over-par 151.
Ruth, the Durham vets champion, said: “I just tried to take it one shot at a time and to make a nice swing.” Her approach worked as she hit fairways and greens to set up five birdies. “It’s certainly the best round I’ve had this year,” she added.
Rozalyn Adams (Addington Court) was third with rounds of 77 and 78 for 155, two shots clear of Barbara Laird (Sandiway) on 157 (75 82). The 2006 champion Geraldine Bray (Littlestone) finished fifth on 158 with 78 and 80.
The championship’s Division B was won Gill Snelson (left), the ladies’ captain of Branston Golf Club in Staffordshire, thanks to the best round of her life. Her level par 75 improved on her first round score by 10 shots and gave her a three-stroke victory. The runner-up was Pat Bennett of Reading.
Gill’s success had seemed unlikely because as she had been up all night suffering from a tummy bug. But she turned misfortune to her advantage by whiling away the small hours reading a golf magazine and absorbing swing advice from Annika Sorenstam.
The result was a round which included three birdies, her biggest-ever win and a sought-after handicap reduction from seven to five. “It’s absolutely fantastic,” said Gill, who has previously played county hockey, netball, tennis and squash.
The Christine Wills Trophy for the over-65 age group was won by Anne Biggs of Tyneside, Durham. She scored 79 and 81 for 170 and shared eighth place overall.

+Picture above of Susan Dye with the trophy by courtesy of the ELGA website.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 150 (2 x 75)
146 Susan Dye (Delamere Forest) 73 73.
151 Ruth Lindley (Hartlepool) 78 73.
155 Ruth Adams (Addington Court) 77 78.
157 Barbara Laird (Sandiway) 75 82.
158 Geraldine Bray (Littlestone) 78 80.
159 Carolyn Kirk (Ganton) 78 81, Hilary Smyth (Pannal) 81 78.
160 Anne Biggs (Tyneside) 79 81, Felicity Coulter (Banstead Downs) 81 78, Pat Wrightson (Huddersfield) 77 83.
161 Christine Watson (Beaconsfield) 79 82.
163 Kate Charles (Burnham & Berrow) 81 82.
164 Julia Smith (Rotherham) 80 84.
165 Alison Hansen (Alnmouth) 82 83, Susan Ellis (Ferndown) 83 82, Irene Brien (Wentworth)
82 83, Elaine Elliott (Whitley Bay) 84 81.
166 Lesley Marsh (Ponteland) 84 82, Laraine Hague (Rotherham) 87 79, Sue Westall (Copt Heath) 84 82.
167 Jeannie Okeeffe (Guildford Ladies) 84 83.
168 Denise Parker (Woodhall Spa) 82 86.
170 Julie Ballard (Littlestone) 83 87, Karen Lobb (Northamptonshire County) 87 73.
172 Diane Spence (Beamish Park) 82 90.
174 Val McFarlane (Lansdown) 88 86.
175 Polly Brown (Gog Magog) 92 83, Rosemary Watters (Porters Park) 91 84.
Christine Oliver (Morpeth) 87 88.
176 Pauline Daymont (Alnmouth) 88 88.
181 Diane Sim (Wooler) 89 92.
183 Helen Lilley (Sickleholme) 87 96.