Andy DevaneyEllise Rymer is the new English Women’s Amateur Champion after defeating Isabella Kent in a gripping final at Moor Park Golf Club, sealing the title with a birdie on the 18th at the end of an extraordinary week for the Lincoln golfer.
Only days earlier, Rymer had qualified for AIG Women’s Open Final Qualifying. She then spent four demanding days in Hertfordshire navigating match-play golf, tired legs and opponents with little interest in making her life comfortable.
By the end of it, the 21-year-old had joined an impressive list of former champions that includes Bronte Law and Trish Johnson. Not bad for a week’s work.
A week that kept getting better
Rymer’s victory was significant not simply because of the trophy, but because of the patience behind it. Her previous major success came at the Scottish Under-16s in 2021. The years between had involved the less glamorous business of improving, persisting and occasionally wondering when the reward might arrive.
At Moor Park, it arrived all at once.
“It’s unbelievable. I feel like I’ve worked so hard on my golf over the last few years and today it all came together, so I’m super happy to win.
“It’s been a dream come true. Playing well on Monday and winning here today has topped it all off really. This is definitely my biggest achievement to date – my last big win was the Scottish U16s in 2021, so a long time ago!
“It’s so great to get across the line and I think this stands me in good stead heading into August and back into the college season (in the USA).”
The final offered no easy route to that crossing line. Rymer and Castle Royle’s Kent were separated by no more than one hole until the 18th, each waiting for the other to blink. Neither seemed especially keen.
Kent’s eagle changes the complexion
Rymer made an early birdie, but the match remained stubbornly close. Kent then produced the sort of moment that can unsettle even the most composed opponent, holing an eagle putt from off the green at the par-five 13th to draw level.
It was bold, unlikely and precisely timed.
Rymer responded by regaining the lead at the 15th. That advantage came under immediate pressure when she sent her tee shot offline at the next, leaving herself with the sort of recovery that can quickly turn a one-hole lead into a level match.
Instead, she manufactured an excellent par. Kent was unable to get up and down from the edge of the green, and the hole was halved.
Match play rarely asks for immaculate golf. It asks whether a player can produce the necessary shot at the necessary moment, preferably while the heart is behaving like an unattended tumble dryer. Rymer managed it.
A final chance on the 18th
Her long drive at the 17th created an opportunity, but both players made par and moved to the final tee with the contest still alive.
Rymer then found the decisive combination: a fine tee shot followed by a birdie putt that rolled into the cup and ended the final 2-up.
There was a pleasing symmetry to it. She had closed her morning semi-final on the same hole, with the same scoreline and another birdie. Once might be fortunate. Twice begins to look like a habit.
The demanding road to the final
Rymer’s path through the knockout stages had already required a considerable physical and mental effort.
Her quarter-final against Jasmine Points proved particularly draining, although surviving it gave her renewed belief ahead of the final day.
“Beating Jasmine Points in the quarter-final yesterday was really tough. I was so tired and that gave me motivation going into today and this morning’s match against England Girls’ Squad member Mia Ingham – she’s really good, so I was really happy to get through that.”
In the semi-final, Rymer quickly moved 2-up against Ingham before her opponent recovered to bring the match level through 11 holes.
The next three were halved, maintaining the tension until a wayward tee shot from Ingham proved costly at the 15th. Rymer then holed a strong birdie putt on the par-five 16th to extend her advantage.
Ingham refused to disappear. A huge drive that finished just short of the 17th green led to a birdie and ensured the match went to the last.
Rymer’s reply was emphatic. She placed her approach close to the 18th hole and converted the birdie putt to win 2-up. Several hours later, she repeated the performance when the title was on the line.
Kent earns her place in the decider
Kent had reached the final with a controlled 3&2 victory over Summer Carash.
She established an early 2-up lead before the Minchinhampton golfer began to work her way back into the contest. Kent moved 3-up through 11, but Carash claimed the next two holes and briefly applied some uncomfortable pressure.
Kent answered by winning the 14th and 15th, closing the match before Carash could engineer a full recovery.
That resilience carried into the final, where her eagle at the 13th ensured Rymer had to produce her best golf over the closing stretch.
A title, a table and a few beers
The English Women’s Amateur trophy now belongs to Rymer, although its immediate accommodation appears rather less grand than its sporting significance might suggest.
“I’m sure mum will find a place for the trophy – probably on the dining room table for a while! Not sure if I’m allowed to say this, but I’m going to celebrate this one by having a few beers!”
After qualifying for the next stage of the AIG Women’s Open process and then becoming a national champion, she had earned both the prominent table position and the refreshments.
The trophy may eventually be moved somewhere more permanent. The memory of those two birdies on Moor Park’s 18th is unlikely to go anywhere.
