Thornton ladies reach national final at Belfry

Sue Horne and Elaine Mitchell have qualified for the national final of the American Golf Ladies Championship.

The Thornton Golf Club pair were narrowly edged out by home pairing Lorna Rutherford and Sheila Horsburgh, missing out on top spot by a solitary point.

Horne and Mitchell now progress to Ryder Cup venue, The Belfry, on September 7 and 8 where they will battle it out on the Brabazon course for the title of best Ladies Pair in the UK.

Rutherford and Horsburgh secured victory with an impressive score of 44 points.

They were pressed all the way to the 18th by the Thornton duo and fellow Peebles pair Clark and Shortreed who both finished on 43 points.

After analysis of the back nine holes Horne and Mitchell were declared runners up on countback and booked their place at the Belfry.

Both pairs will now join qualifiers from all over the UK and Ireland in front of Sky Sports’ cameras at the Belfry Grand Final where they will compete across two days to be crowned American Golf Ladies Champions.

This win also puts them in contention for the Tournament of Champions in Mauritius, should they succeed at the iconic Midland venue.

Richard Gray, American Golf manager from the Edinburgh store, commented:“To have won through to the National finals of the American Golf Ladies Championships is a great achievement and I’m delighted that the Fife golfing community will be well represented.

“It will be an incredible experience playing on a Ryder Cup course and I can’t wait to see how our Ladies get on.

Entry to all of the American Golf Championships, including the American Golf Ladies Championship, is free and is part of the nationwide retailer’s drive to promote the game of golf and get more people out playing the sport more often.