Anna Abom was crowned the inaugural South of Ireland Women’s Amateur Open Champion following a commanding ten-shot victory at Lahinch Golf Club.
The Edmondstown golfer carded a final round 70 to end the tournament on 14-under par, comfortably clear of Hermitage’s Kate Lanigan, who claimed second place on four-under.
Abom was in complete control of the championship heading into the final round, after rounds of 70 and 68 on Saturday put the Golf Ireland High Performance Panellist in a commanding position before the third and final round, holding a seven-stroke lead over County Louth’s Deirdre Smith.
An opening bogey briefly threatened to disrupt her momentum, but this early error was quickly rectified with a birdie on the Par 5 third, and from there Abom remained firmly in control throughout.
The 19-year-old picked up another shot on the ninth, before a decisive run of birdies followed on 13, 14 and 15, just as in her opening round, and so Abom cruised to a special victory on the County Clare links.
An emotional Abom shared her delight at picking up the win, proud of her achievement after what has been a tough time for her and her family, following the passing of her father Bill in late 2025.
“I’m really happy to have won it, it’s very cool that it’s the first one of its kind,” said Abom.
“Definitely bittersweet. It’s been a very hard few months. It’s definitely been a bit of a struggle to keep going so I’m definitely proud of myself for what I have done this weekend.”
“Nothing is ever guaranteed in golf, nothing is ever easy. There were so many good players behind me, it’s links golf and anything can happen. I was just trying to keep the outcome a little bit less in my focus and just try and enjoy the day the same as I had the first two rounds.”
Lanigan began the final round eight strokes off the lead, and a pair of birdies in the opening five holes helped temporarily close the gap on Abom, only for this early charge to be stifled by a triple bogey on the Par 4 6th, all but ending Lanigan’s bid for victory.
The 2025 Lahinch Scratch Cup winner did rally on the back nine however, carding two eagles on the Par 4 13th and Par 5 15th to secure the silver medal and Mid-Amateur title, three shots clear of Lucy Grattan (Tralee).
Attention on the women’s circuit now turns to the Flogas Irish Women’s Amateur Open at Newlands Golf Club on 15-17 May.
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