Andy DevaneyJohanna Kirch won the English Girls’ Golf Championship, officially the English Girls’ Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship, after rounds of 68 and 71 carried the German to a three-shot victory over England’s Lauren Crump at Prestbury Golf Club.
Kirch finished eight under par after birdieing three of her final five holes, transforming a championship that had appeared to belong to somebody else into Germany’s first victory in the event since Celina Sattelkau won at East Devon in 2018. Golf leads can look wonderfully secure until somebody starts holing putts.
How did Johanna Kirch win the English Girls’ Golf Championship?
Kirch shot 68 and 71 on the final day, finishing eight under par and three clear of Crump. The decisive swing came at the 14th, where Kirch made birdie as Crump recorded a double bogey. Kirch then added birdies at the 16th and 17th before completing the victory with a closing par.
The German, representing Frankfurter Golf Club, had begun the day chasing overnight leader Crump, who entered the third round at 12 under par.
Crump’s morning round of 77, four over par, opened the contest considerably. Kirch took advantage with a five-under-par 68 in the following group, moving to six under and cutting the lead to two shots before the fourth and final round.
Her 68 also moved her past England Girls’ Squad player Daisy Lee of Lancaster and into second place. By then, a championship that had looked orderly was developing a distinct shortage of order.
Crump starts quickly but Kirch refuses to retreat
Crump responded to the morning setback with consecutive birdies at the start of her final round. It was an emphatic answer and, for a while, a useful reminder that she remained the player to catch.
Kirch kept pace. Both players reached the turn one under par for the round, leaving Crump two strokes ahead with nine holes remaining.
Those final nine at Prestbury had been among the week’s more demanding stretches. With little room for indecision, Kirch’s putting and composure began to exert increasing pressure on the lead.
She later admitted that victory had not seemed remotely likely when the day began.
“It’s great! I really didn’t expect to be standing here when teeing off this morning. It was very exciting the last few holes, many nerves but I’m delighted I got it done.”
Kirch was also competing as part of a German team whose support became especially visible once the final putt had dropped.
“We came here as a team this week and it’s always great to represent your country. I’m grateful for all the support, so of course it’s nice to be at the top of the leaderboard.”
The 14th hole changes the championship
The decisive shift arrived at the 14th. Kirch made birdie while Crump suffered a double bogey, wiping out the remaining two-shot margin and drawing the pair level.
Crump then dropped another shot at the 15th, giving Kirch the outright lead for the first time.
Rather than attempting to protect it, Kirch continued attacking. She birdied the par-four 16th and then the par-three 17th, creating enough breathing space to play the final hole without requiring any unnecessary heroics.
Her performance on the greens had been the foundation of the charge. Kirch described a day when putts appeared unusually willing to cooperate.
“Today, my putting went really well. The greens were rolling really good and I think nearly everything went in for me. I can’t think of a time where I’ve putted any better so that was definitely key for me. I didn’t expect that I was even in contention. I was standing on 17, looking at my putt and I couldn’t not look at the leaderboard and I saw that I was up there, I didn’t really believe it and I still don’t now!”
A par at the last completed a final round of 71, two under par, and secured an eight-under total.
Kirch’s teammates raced onto the 18th green to congratulate her, adding the proper measure of noise to a finish built on a remarkably calm stretch of golf.
Lauren Crump secures second place
Crump responded to the disappointment of losing the lead by birdieing the final hole. She finished at five under par, securing second place on her own and ending the championship three strokes behind Kirch.
The closing birdie did not alter the destination of the trophy, but it provided a determined finish to a week in which Crump had led the field into the final day.
Germany’s Lena Marie Geier and England’s Daisy Lee shared third place at level par.
Another German player, YooNa Bae, climbed to fifth after recording two rounds of 72, each one under par, on the final day.
Alicia Kelly wins the Hazards Salver
Wales’ Alicia Kelly claimed the Hazards Salver, awarded to the leading Great Britain and Ireland player aged under 16.
Kelly completed the championship at 12 over par, finishing one stroke ahead of Charlotte Gosling-Evans of Springs.
For the main title, however, the lasting image belonged to Kirch: three late birdies, a leaderboard she could no longer avoid looking at and a German celebration gathering speed across the 18th green.
The scorecard records a three-shot victory. The championship was settled in a much narrower space — the few minutes in which Kirch recognised her opportunity and showed no inclination to hand it back.
