Beth Coulter already looks set to advance to the matchplay stages of the R&A Women’s Amateur Championship after she opened her campaign with a three-under 69 at Prince’s.
Coulter lies just one shot off the lead held by Germany’s Christin Eisenbeiss and Norway’s Silje Torvund Ohma and is in third place with the top-64 after 36 holes of stroke play advancing to the knockout stages.
The Kirkistown Castle native started well with birdies on the fourth and sixth before a double bogey on the par-4 7th saw her turn in 36.
But the Irish Women’s Close and Girls Close champion showed her class with back-to-back birdies on 11 and 12 before a birdie on the par-3 17th took her home in 33.
“Yeah it was pretty good. I played really solid. I hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, which are pretty tough to hit out there, and I held some really nice putt,” said Coulter. “Par is a great score on some of those holes, so I was just trying to string along as many as possible.
“I’m hitting it pretty good. My putting is a lot better. My short game has got better in America, so it’s nice to come back and play links. It’s real nice.”
Coulter has impressed in her previous Amateur Championships reaching the last-32 last year while she was second at the Girls Amateur Championship in 2021. In total she has reached the knockout stages of the R&A Women’s Amateur Championship twice in as many attempts.
“Yeah, stroke-play is all about just go out, doesn’t really matter. But it is nice to come through, like 16 and 18s and play a few Women’s, and it’s nice to come back from America, and all the college players and all the players that don’t go to college over here, it’s a nice atmosphere. Yeah, it’s fab.”
At the time of writing, Lahinch duo Aideen Walsh and Áine Donegan – who is US Women’s Open bound – are one-under through three and six holes. Hermitage’s Kate Lanigan is 71st after a three-over 75 alongside Douglas’ Sara Byrne while Anna Foster is three shots further back.
Scoring HERE
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