Staff WriterSixteen-year-old Lily Reitter pulled off the biggest win of her young career at the R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship, holding her nerve to defeat England’s Charlotte Naughton in a sun-baked final at Conwy Golf Club.
Reitter, a Florida-based Frenchwoman with a golf swing silkier than a Paris runway, claimed the 96th edition of the championship with a 4&2 victory. She becomes the first French champion since Alexandra Bonetti in 2010, and judging by her grin, you’d have thought she’d just been handed the keys to Augusta National.
“I’m so proud of myself,” Reitter said. “I did have a big lead through 18 but it’s always tough to maintain that kind of advantage. I always prefer to be in a spot where I’m chasing.
Charlotte really is impressive and it was a pleasure to battle it out against her. During that stretch of holes when we were throwing birdies at each other, I was thinking, ‘oh my goodness, can you stop making as many putts as me.’ She put up a great fight.”
A Match with Fireworks
Reitter stormed ahead early, capitalising on Naughton’s four bogeys in the opening six holes while playing one-under herself. By the turn, the French teenager was five up, looking as comfortable as a croissant in a French café.
But Naughton, a 17-year-old who already owns the German Girls’ International Amateur title, wasn’t about to roll over. She rattled off three straight birdies from the 9th to slice the deficit to two.
Her bunker magic on 12 kept things interesting, but a missed short putt on the next hole allowed Reitter to regain breathing room.
The drama peaked between holes nine and 14, when both girls went five-under in a birdie blitz that looked more like a heavyweight title fight than a junior golf final.
But Naughton’s charge faltered late — a missed up-and-down on 17 and an unfortunate shank into the greenkeepers’ sheds on 18 left her four down with little rope left.
“This changes my year,” Reitter admitted. “I wasn’t playing that well, I was missing cuts and if I was in contention I’d crack in the final round. So this shows that, mentally, I have progressed as well.”
Doors Swinging Open
For winning the R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship, Reitter’s trophy case will need an extension. Along with her name etched onto the historic roll of honour, she earns spots in next year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur, The Women’s Amateur Championship, and the US Girls’ Junior Championship. Oh, and she gets a crack at Final Qualifying for the AIG Women’s Open.
“I’m super excited about the Augusta National Women’s Amateur,” she said. “I told my brother that the winner of this gets an exemption and he said ‘you’d better go and win’ as he wants to caddie for me. I just phoned him after winning and told him to take the first week in April off.”
Naughton, for her part, was gracious in defeat. “I did give myself a bit too much to do,” she said. “But I tried my best. The way I played in the afternoon, I could’ve won it on another day.
I had a hard run of matches this week, playing two of my England team-mates, so it’s been physically and emotionally hard too. But I’m proud of myself.”
Conwy Shines Again
Conwy Golf Club, which also hosted the 2021 Curtis Cup, once again proved a proper test of links golf. The firm, fiery conditions and a pesky easterly breeze ensured that neither finalist had an easy ride.
“It’s been a privilege,” said Matthew Parsley, the club’s General Manager. “Women and girls’ golf is such a big part of the club’s strategy so to have this significant girls’ event here makes us very proud.
We are a championship course. We love hosting events and it all helps to raise awareness of where we are and what we do. We learned a lot from the Curtis Cup and this was a good opportunity to put those things into practice. It’s been a win-win for Conwy Golf Club and The R&A.”
The R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship will head to Craigielaw in East Lothian next year, from August 10–15. Expect more fireworks, more future stars, and, if we’re lucky, fewer golf balls disappearing into Welsh shrubbery.
