England Golf Week: Grand display hands Forrest title
It was by the tightest of margins – but Lancashire’s Alex Forrest is England’s champion woman medal player.
The 18-year-old was originally a reserve for England Golf’s Grand Medal Final, but squeezed into the field before winning on countback from two other players.
All three tied with nett scores of level par 73, on the Red course at Frilford Heath, but Forrest won thanks to a better back nine which included three birdies.
The runner-up was Staffordshire’s Sara Allen, from Branston, while third place went to 12-year-old Kaylin Screene, from Croham Hurst in Surrey.
Early starter Forrest endured a nerve-wracking wait to find out her fate. Allen didn’t come in until the last group.
“It’s definitely been nerve-wracking watching the leaderboard – and I bogeyed the last!” 4-handicapper Forrest said.
“I had a putt for par, I was shaking over it, and it just lipped out. This really means a lot because it’s such a big field.”
The final was played as part of England Golf Week, which celebrates the grassroots game with a five-day festival of team and handicap events.
It was contested by the cream of England’s club medal players and each finalist returned the four best medal scores at her club during 2015 and had won through a regional final.
Forrest, a Lancashire county player from Longridge, was playing her second Grand Medal Final and said: “It’s really good, everyone is at different levels of the game and everyone is really enjoying it.”
The final was played in breezy conditions and many players found the slick greens testing, but Forrest quickly got the pace.
“I had a few bogeys on the front nine but I went on the birdie trail on the back nine,” she added.
Picture courtesy of Leaderboard Photography
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
