Lauren Walsh second at Eagle Creek; Sara Byrne 19th
Lauren Walsh. Picture by Pat Cashman
Castlewarden’s Lauren Walsh continued her impressive collegiate career in the US with a runner-up finish in the UCF Challenge at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando.
Seeking her third win on US soil in the space of three and a half months, the Wake Forest University star from went into the final round tied for the lead with Houston’s Karen Fredgaard on seven-under-par after rounds of 69 and 68 in cool, blustery conditions.
But she had to settle for second in the end as she closed with a two-over 74 to Fredgaard’s 72 to finish two shots behind the Danish player on five-under in winds gusting to 30 mph.
She went to the turn in three-over 38 to Fredgaard’s 37 and while both players picked up two birdies on the back nine, the battle for the title was settled on the last two holes.
Both players bogeyed the par-three 17th to leave the Dane one clear playing the par-five 18th and she finished with a birdie four to Walsh’s par to win by two strokes.
Douglas’ Sara Byrne tied for 19th on three-over.
Walsh moves up one stoke to 41st in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
| World Amateur Golf Rankings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank This Week | Rank Last Week | Rank Change | Name | Divisor | Points Average |
| 17 | 17 | 0 | Olivia Mehaffey | 13.283 | 1199.8872 |
| 41 | 42 | 1 | Lauren Walsh | 10.0188 | 1062.499 |
| 63 | 62 | -1 | Julie McCarthy | 7.6415 | 1005.1876 |
| 114 | 118 | 4 | Paula Grant | 7.415 | 911.0286 |
| 126 | 126 | 0 | Annabel Wilson | 8.4905 | 902.7113 |
| 140 | 117 | -23 | Aine Donegan | 7 | 884.2195 |
| 171 | 171 | 0 | Anna Foster | 9.849 | 850.5125 |
| 268 | 268 | 0 | Beth Coulter | 9.3962 | 788.6016 |
| 286 | 294 | 8 | Mairead Martin | 8.0943 | 781.5155 |
| 370 | 336 | -34 | Jessica Ross | 7 | 741.2105 |
| 378 | 382 | 4 | Niamh McSherry | 11.4905 | 737.3248 |
| 720 | 722 | 2 | Sara Byrne | 9.6792 | 636.6467 |
| 916 | 898 | -18 | Laura Webb | 7 | 588.3038 |
| 979 | 977 | -2 | Chloe Weir | 8.0188 | 575.9196 |
| 1381 | 1302 | -79 | Shannon Burke | 7 | 497.086 |
| 1407 | 1418 | 11 | Valerie Clancy | 7.5471 | 493.0172 |
| 1600 | 1541 | -59 | Maeve Cummins | 7 | 453.3968 |
| 1630 | 1645 | 15 | Rachel Thompson | 13.0754 | 449.3247 |
| 1752 | 1729 | -23 | Corrina Griffin | 7 | 422.1849 |
| 1793 | 1759 | -34 | Chloe Ryan | 7 | 413.315 |
| 1807 | 1789 | -18 | Eleanor Metcalfe | 7 | 408.7494 |
| 1906 | 1914 | 8 | Canice Screene | 10.0754 | 385.5033 |
| 2004 | 1983 | -21 | Lucia Masding | 7 | 363.7307 |
| 2063 | 2047 | -16 | Kate Lanigan | 7 | 344.5583 |
| 2201 | 2182 | -19 | Ciara Casey | 7 | 306.0911 |
| 2212 | 2196 | -16 | Anna Dawson | 7 | 303.721 |
| 2243 | 2227 | -16 | Jan Browne | 7 | 294.7543 |
| 2399 | 2406 | 7 | Niamh Ward | 7 | 250.354 |
| 2431 | 2436 | 5 | Emma Fleming | 7 | 242.1416 |
| 2650 | 2638 | -12 | Sinead Sexton | 7 | 195.2324 |
| 2656 | 2660 | 4 | Alison Taylor | 7 | 194.3524 |
| 2722 | 2705 | -17 | Georgia Carr | 7 | 180.4254 |
| 2800 | 2799 | -1 | Clodagh Walsh | 7 | 164.4752 |
| 2891 | 2884 | -7 | Deirdre Smith | 7 | 144.1339 |
| 2943 | 2939 | -4 | Elisa Corcoran | 7 | 128.0096 |
| 3056 | 3003 | -53 | Lucy Simpson | 7 | 113.1202 |
| 3143 | 3135 | -8 | Catriona Griffin | 7 | 101.92 |
| 3255 | 3254 | -1 | Louise Coffey | 7 | 76.9407 |
| 3274 | 3272 | -2 | Meadhbh Doyle | 7 | 71.2484 |
| 3303 | 3302 | -1 | Molly Dowling | 7 | 60.6627 |
| 3314 | 3315 | 1 | Maeve Kelly | 7 | 56.6753 |
| 3381 | 3381 | 0 | Mary Doyle | 7 | 37.3867 |
| 3423 | 3422 | -1 | Sarah Cunningham | 7 | 20.4582 |
| 3449 | 3448 | -1 | Maeve Rooney | 7 | 7.2938 |
