19-year-old Abbie Teasdale, the great grandaughter of Ron Teasdale a Past Captain of Manchester Golf Club, was crowned English Amateur Champion at the weekend. With amazing support from her home club Royal Fremantle in Australia, Abbie has been based in Manchester this year and made Hopwood her home. As well as practicing hard at the club, Abbie has thrown herself into Manchester life, representing the club in the Ladies Scratch Team and picking-up top prize on Janet Heywood’s Ladies Captains Day. It has been a pleasure to see Abbie walk in the footsteps of Ron, who was also Club Secretary for many years, and represent Manchester and Royal Fremantle so magnificently.
In the Final of the English Amateur, Abbie timed her run in the final to perfection, taking the lead for the first time on the 28th hole. Playing againt Davina Xanh at Lindrick Golf Club, Abbie held her nerve to keep a 1up advantage at the last in the glorious South Yorkshire sunshine. Her victory was a delight for mum Jackie, dad Darren and brother Joe, with the latter caddying for his sister throughout the 36-hole final.
The women’s final got underway early on Sunday and Xanh who was quickest out the blocks with birdies for wins on the second and the eighth holes securing an early lead. The remainder of the first round was an evenly-matched affair as Xanh stayed 2up but a superb birdie on the 18th from Teasdale ensured she stayed just one hole behind at the halfway stage. Having started the first round in fine form, Xanh repeated the trick at the beginning of the second as birdie-par was enough to see her move into a 3up lead and take firm control of the contest. Abbie wasn’t going to let the opportunity of silverware slip and she responded magnificently, winning the 22nd, 23rd and 26th holes with some tremendous golf to tie the match. Where the trophy was going was now anyone’s guess but Teasdale moved ahead for the first time in the contest with a par at the 28th as Xanh bogeyed the same par four.
Abbie now heads back to Australia with all at Manchester Golf Club looking forward to welcoming her back again soon. She will have the opportunity to lower the ladies course record she set this year, a gross 69 that beat the previous longstanding record. And, of course, there even more Women’s golf at Manchester next year when we host the English Women’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship with England Golf. Fitingly the final words in this story belong to Abbie, who reflects on her fantastic victory and time with Manchester Golf Club in the video above:
