Olivia Costello finished as runner-up at the Spanish Women’s Amateur Championship after she was beaten on the 18th by home favourite Nagore Martinez Salcedo on the 18th in a thrilling final.
Costello, who is on the Golf Ireland U18 Girls High Performance panel, was 3UP at multiple stages during the match but a late comeback from Salcedo turned the tie on its head.
The 16-year-old Roscommon star made the perfect start with a birdie at the first to go 1UP and followed that up with a three on the 2nd for a two hole advantage.
It looked to be plain sailing for Costello who won the fifth hole with a par to move to three up and after Salcedo trimmed the deficit down to the minimum, Costello roared to the turn with wins on the 8th and 9th to move to three up.
Costello would lose the 10th but won the twelfth to restore her three hole advantage with just six holes to play, but Salcedo came fighting back again, winning the 13th and 14th holes to put the match back in the balance going down the last four holes.
It proved to be a key period in the match as for the first time, the momentum was with the Spaniard who made it All Square with a birdie on the 16th before she repeated the feat on the 18th to pip Costello to a famous title.
In the Men’s Spanish Amateur Championship, Connemara’s Luke O’Neill ran out of steam at the wrong time as he lost out in his semi final match 5&4 to Hugh Le Goff.
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