Andy DevaneyThe Women’s Amateur Championship has a new name on one of golf’s grander old trophies, and Valentine Delon earned every engraved letter of it with a composed, stubborn and quietly magnificent victory over Andrea Revuelta at Muirfield.
Delon, a 21-year-old Virginia Tech student from France, defeated Spain’s Revuelta 3&1 in the 36-hole Final of The 123rd Women’s Amateur Championship, refusing to be dragged under by the wind, the course or an opponent who spent much of the day behaving like a terrier with a boarding pass for the back nine.
It was a win of patience, nerve and deep competitive bite. It also made Delon the first French player to win the title since Céline Boutier in 2015, placing her name alongside a roll call that includes Leona Maguire, Georgia Hall and Anna Nordqvist. Not a bad club to join. Better than most airport lounges, certainly.
Delon Keeps Her Head While Muirfield Blows
Muirfield was in no mood to hand out favours. Warm weather came with strong gusts across the East Lothian links, where every loose swing was treated less like a mistake and more like an act of personal disrespect.
Delon had prepared properly. She visited the venue two weeks earlier and that local knowledge became a weapon in the sort of conditions that turn ordinary golf into long-form interrogation.
Revuelta, ranked fourth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®), arrived in the Final after a fierce week of match play, including a memorable semi-final win over American Farah O’Keefe. The Stanford University player had been difficult to shake all week, and she did not suddenly become accommodating on the final day.
Delon, ranked 66th in the WAGR® on arrival, had already negotiated a demanding path through Zoe Cusack, Samantha Olson, Meja Örtengren, Matilda Bjorkman and Savannah De Bock. In her final two match-play victories before the Final, she was never behind. Against Revuelta, she repeated the trick.
That is not luck. That is competitive housekeeping of the highest order.
A Morning Of Momentum Swings
Delon struck early, moving two up after three holes in the morning round. Revuelta answered as good players do, with back-to-back birdies that brought the match level by the turn.
The back nine was harder, tighter and more severe. Delon again built a two-hole advantage, only for Revuelta to cut the gap at the 16th and then halve the 17th with an inspired bunker shot.
The 18th proved crucial. Delon, playing from greenside rough, produced the sort of chip that changes the flavour of lunch. Revuelta missed a short par putt, Delon remained composed, and the Frenchwoman walked off two up after the opening 18 holes.
In a 36-hole match, two up is useful rather than comfortable. At Muirfield, with the wind beginning to put its elbows on the table, it was barely a cushion. More of a folded napkin.
Revuelta Fights Back, But Delon Refuses To Drift
The afternoon began with Delon winning the 19th to stretch the lead to three. Revuelta then rattled off the 22nd, 23rd and 24th to wipe it out completely.
At that point, many players would have started hearing noises. Muirfield does that. The wind speaks, the rough mutters, and every putt begins to look as though it has legal representation.
Delon, however, steadied herself. As conditions toughened, she rebuilt the lead with disciplined golf, returning to the stubborn pattern that had carried her through the week. Three straight pars applied pressure. A birdie on the penultimate hole finished the job.
The result was a 3&1 victory, a French champion, and a career-altering Sunday on one of golf’s sternest stages.
Major Starts And Augusta Await
The scale of Delon’s reward is considerable.
Victory earns her places in four major championships: The Amundi Evian Championship and the AIG Women’s Open later this summer, followed by the Chevron Championship and the US Women’s Open presented by Ally in 2027.
By tradition, she will also receive a place in next year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur, along with invitations to the Standard Portland Classic on the LPGA Tour in August and a Ladies’ European Tour event.
For any amateur golfer, that is not merely a prize list. It is a door being kicked open.
It carries additional weight given Delon’s route here. She fought back from back surgery in 2019 and has now turned a week at Muirfield into the most significant victory of her young career.
Delon: “Everything Is Possible”
“It’s amazing. I don’t think it feels real right now but it’s just the best thing ever. I practised every day to be in this situation. The conditions were really hard today, but being the Champion and putting my name on this trophy is amazing.
“I tried not to leave space (in the score). Every time she was coming back, I was just trying to take the next hole. It’s amazing (not to be behind in either of the last two days). I don’t know how I did that. I just think I was putting in a lot of intensity, trying to not give space to my opponent and being really hard on my mindset.
“Since I’m playing golf again, I just want to show everyone that even if something happens in your life, everything is possible. I think I showed it today by winning this tournament. It’s amazing. I’m going to play some major championships, the AIG Women’s Open, going to Augusta, and professional events on the LPGA Tour. That’s my dream and now it’s becoming true.”
Revuelta Proud After A Ferocious Week
“I’m proud. Yesterday was a great day and then being able to play like that against Valentine today – she played amazing. I gave it my all but today she just came out on top. I’m very proud of myself. I fought. I didn’t play my best but I fought. I’m proud of that.
“She had no mistakes at the end. I thought I had her for just a second if she just missed a couple of putts but she made like eight-footer, eight-footer and kept going. It was amazing. I’m very happy for her. She was an amazing player today.
“It was a great tournament. I’m so honoured and grateful to be able to play on a golf course like this and play in the Final. It’s a great golf course and you can see it because it’s so hard. I’m very happy and hopefully I’ll come back and win next time.”
Muirfield Leaves Its Mark
This was the first time Muirfield had staged The Women’s Amateur Championship, having hosted the AIG Women’s Open in 2022. It proved an excellent fit: exacting, elegant, occasionally cruel, and entirely unwilling to flatter anyone.
The R&A provided live stream coverage of the Final and highlights on R&ATV and The R&A’s YouTube channel, with coverage also broadcast by Sky Sports.
The next edition, the 124th Women’s Amateur Championship, will be held at Royal Cinque Ports in England from 21-26 June 2027.
Delon leaves Muirfield with the trophy, the exemptions and the sort of week that can alter the dimensions of a golfing life. Revuelta leaves with credit, bruises only the scorecard can see, and every reason to believe she will be back in the argument soon enough.
For Delon, though, this was the day the wind blew hard, the door opened, and she walked straight through it.
