It was the battle of Elm Park in Woodbrook as Anna Foster stood tall to hold off club mate Emma Fleming and clinch a victory that kickstarted her season.
Foster added the Flogas Irish Women’s Amateur Open Championship title to her 2021 Irish Women’s Close as she powered to a wire-to-wire victory in June.
Foster carded a final round of 70 to win by four shots on twelve-under-par ahead of Castlerock’s Annabel Wilson (-8) and her Elm Park club mate Emma Fleming (-7).
Standing on the fourteenth tee level pegging with Fleming in front of a fervent travelling support, Foster pulled three clear with a crucial birdie on the par-5 as Fleming fell to a double bogey. The Irish International hammered home her advantage with birdies on 15 and 17 for a comfortable victory.
“Looking back now it was a great battle between us and delighted for Emma. She played really well all week and it was nice to have two Elm Park players on top,” beamed Foster who recovered from a bogey on the par-5 3rd with back to back birdies on the fourth and fifth.
“Fourteen was a big momentum switch there, I was just trying to stay patient. I had been hitting a lot of good shots in but couldn’t get a putt to drop so to see that one go in was relief and just coasted in on the way home which was nice.”
Foster was delighted to complete a wire to wire victory after she led each day after rounds of 68 and 72.
“It was in the back of my mind coming into today but I didn’t really want to think about it too much but yeah it was nice to get it done.”
Shortly after that victory, the ex-Auburn University star reached the quarter-finals of the Women’s Amateur Championship in Portmarnock before narrowly missing the cut at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open in Carton House in September.
It’s just over a year since Foster finished bottom of the leaderboard at the AIG Women’s Open on her major championship debut, an experience that would have stung. But she left Portmarnock believing that she can stand up and be counted among the elite and her performance at LET Q-School proved that.
“I think it’s more self-confidence and inner belief than anything else. It’s kind of those few weeks, I guess, has shown me that I am like a good player and I deserve to be where I am.”
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