England Golf Week: Steph wins Grand Medal Final

Kent’s Steph Marshall played six below her handicap at Frilford Heath in Oxfordshire to become England’s champion woman medal player.

The five-handicapper scored net 67 to win the women’s Grand Medal Final, finishing two shots clear of the youngest competitor, 12-year-old Hannah Golding from Staffordshire.

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“I am over the moon,” said Marshall, from Birchwood Park. She played the Red course in 72, one-under par gross, despite having never seen it before. “I didn’t have a practice round so I got myself a course book and took it one step at a time.”
‘I am over the moon’ The final was played as part of England Golf’s first Golf Week, which celebrates the grassroots game with a five-day festival of team and handicap events.

Marshall, 20, has been playing golf for seven years after seeing the sport on television. She’s been on good form this season since making a small swing adjustment, after receiving a chance tip. “I’ve been hitting the ball straight ever since,” she said.”

Second place Golding has reduced her handicap from 21 to 15 this year and said: “It was really fun, I like playing different courses. I just tried to keep my focus and tried to make pars.”

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Third place went to Richmond club champion Karen Jobling, from Yorkshire, who was round in one-over gross 74 for net 70. She said: “I’m ecstatic. I think everyone was expecting to wake up to rain and when we didn’t we felt very lucky and that was relaxing.”

The Grand Medal Final was contested by the cream of England’s club medal players. Each finalist had returned the four best medal scores at her club during 2014 and had won through a regional final to take her place at Frilford.