Staff WriterThe 2025 English Girls’ Championship at Old Fold Manor had it all: thunderclouds, chip-in eagles, leaderboard leapfrogging, and a pair of young champions who played like seasoned pros dodging lightning bolts.
While most teenagers were worrying about TikTok views and melting ice creams, Serafima Taylor and Hanna Nordlund were calmly carving their names into one of England’s most storied junior trophies.
With the weather turning biblical and forecasts calling for thunderstorms, organisers were forced to slice the final day of the English Girls’ Championship down to nine holes apiece. A little golf roulette, if you will. The Under 14s took the front nine, the Under 16s the back, and everyone else took a deep breath.
And breathe they did—until the final putt dropped.
Taylor Strikes Gold in the Under 16s
Serafima Taylor, the Sutton Coldfield standout who finished runner-up in last year’s Under 14s, arrived at the final tee box with a three-shot lead and a game to match the moment. While others blinked, Taylor blinked back. She closed with a nerveless 3-under across her nine to finish at -11, fending off a late surge from Germany’s Lena Marie Geier, who posted a scorching -5 over her stretch to set the clubhouse mark at -8.
Taylor, steady as a metronome and twice as precise, never lost sight of the task.
“It means a lot because last week [at Sherwood Forest in the English Girls’ Championship] was the first time I shot under-par in a tournament. I’ve done it three times since, all in this week’s competition, and I never expected it to come so soon.”
“I knew I was leading, and, on every hole, I was aware that I had either a two or three-shot lead, and I wanted to keep it that way so I could carry on playing the same way.”
Not a hint of panic, not a twitch of nerves—just clinical composure.
Behind her, Daisy Lee (Lancaster) went bogey-free for a -4 to share third with Ellie Lichtenhein and Germany’s Luisa Kristin Hartmann at -7. Walton Heath’s Annabel Peaford followed at -6, while Rebecca Del Sol-Gonzalez of Wales checked in at -5. Not to be forgotten, Marta Muñoz Escudero (Spain) and Chelmsford’s Lily Hawes both threw down -6 cards—short bursts of brilliance in a day where every shot mattered.
Nordlund’s Heroics Seal Under 14 Glory
If Taylor’s victory was precise, Hanna Nordlund’s was pure drama. The Walton Heath prodigy delivered an eagle chip-in on the 9th to snatch the English Girls’ Under 14 Championship from the clutches of a tense three-way tussle.
Entering the final round a shot behind French frontrunners Anouchka Djumic and Jurilayci Kardasik, Nordlund knew it would be a short sprint rather than a marathon. Through seven holes, all three girls were locked at -4. With playoffs looming large, Nordlund birdied the 8th to nose in front. But Djumic birdied the 9th, moving to -5 and daring Nordlund to do something spectacular.
So she did.
Faced with a tough chip just short of the green, Nordlund summoned her inner Seve and holed it for eagle. Game over.
“It means a lot because I’d never won a big tournament before, and I’ve only ever shot under-par once in a tournament coming into this week.”
“The final round was definitely nerve-wracking… When I found out that the final round was reduced to nine holes, I was trying to get in the mindset of going for as many birdies as possible.”
“On the 9th, I was thinking about how I eagled two holes yesterday and I’d not even birdied this hole yet, so when I got there, I thought ‘what if I chip in’ so I was really happy when I did that!”
Nordlund now joins a glittering alumni roll call that includes Georgia Hall and Charley Hull. No pressure.
“Just to see that they [Georgia and Charley] won this tournament when they were younger, and what they have gone on to do, is incredible. Hopefully I can follow in their footsteps too!”
Elsewhere in the Under 14 field, Mila Dodds (Sand Moor) and Spain’s Icíar Rodriguez shared 4th as the international flavour of the leaderboard only underscored the depth of talent on display.
Up Next: Gog Magog Awaits
The 2026 English Girls’ Championship heads to Gog Magog Golf Club in Cambridgeshire, and after this year’s fireworks, they might want to reinforce the greens—and keep a defibrillator nearby.
As for Taylor and Nordlund? If this week is any indication, we might be watching the early chapters of two very promising careers.
And if they’re anything like Hall or Hull, the next time we hear from them might just be on a Sunday evening at a major.
Who said junior golf wasn’t electrifying?
