British Ladies Amateur Championship

Joyce Wethered and Cecil Leitch at the 1925 Women's British Open
Joyce Wethered (left) and Cecil Leitch, pictured in 1925, are the only 4-time winners of the British Ladies Amateur. Kirby/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images
By
Brent Kelley
Brent Kelley
Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism.
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Updated on 06/16/19

The British Ladies Amateur Championship is the premier golf tournament in Great Britain and Europe for female amateurs. First played in 1893, the tournament's official name is Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship. It is also sometimes referred to as the British Ladies Am and the British Women's Amateur.

The governing body for the British Ladies Amateur Championship is the R&A, which took over the tournament beginning in 2017 after Ladies Golf Union folded itself into the R&A.

Format
The British Ladies Amateur Championship opens with two rounds of stroke play qualifying. The Top 64 advance to match play, with an 18-hole championship final.

2020 British Ladies Amateur

  • When: June 23-27, 2020
  • Where: Kilmarnock Golf Club (Barassie Links) in Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland

2019 Tournament
Emily Toy, who entered the tournament ranked No. 450 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, claimed the trophy with a 1-up victory in the 18-hole championship match. Toy, of England, beat New Zealand's Amelie Garvey. In the semifinals, Toy defeated Linn Grant of Sweden and Garvey dispatched Daniella Barrett of Finland.

2018 British Ladies Amateur
Leonie Harm of Germany was the 2018 champion, defeating Stephanie Lau of the United States in the championship match by a score of 3 and 2. Harm never trailed in the final and won it with a par on the 16th hole. In the semifinals, Harm defeated Canada's Jaclyn Lee while Lau bested Hollie Muse of England.

British Ladies Amateur Championship - Facts & Figures

Most Victories

  • 4 wins - Cecil Leitch (1914, 1920-21, 1926), Joyce Wethered (1922, 1924-25, 1929)
  • 3 wins - Lady Margaret Scott (1893-95), May Hezlet (1899, 1902, 1907), Enid Wilson (1931-33), Jessie Valentine (1937, 1955, 1958), Brigitte Varangot (1963, 1965, 1968)

Tournament Trivia

  • Eleven golfers have won both the British Ladies Amateur Championship and the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship: Dorothy Campbell, Gladys Ravenscroft, Pamela Barton, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Louise Suggs, Marlene Stewart Streit, Barbara McIntire, Catherine Lacoste, Carol Semple Thompson, Anne Quast, Kelli Kuehne.
  • Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1947 was the first American to win the British Ladies Am.
  • Four golfers have won the British Ladies Am and U.S. Women's Am in the same year: Dorothy Campbell (1909), Pamela Barton (1936), Catherine Lacoste (1969) and Kelli Kuehne (1996).
  • In 2016, Julia Engstrom of Sweden became the tournament's youngest-ever champion by winning it at age 15.
  • The winner receives the "Pam Barton Memorial Salver," named after a British golfer (and winner of this tournament) killed during World War II. The champion gets to keep the salver (a silver tray) for a year.

British Ladies Amateur Championship Winners

Recent tournament champions:

2019 - Emily Toy, England, def. Amelia Garvey, Australia, 1-up
2018 - Leonie Harm, Germany, def. Stephanie Lau, USA, 3 and 2
2017 - Leona Maguire, Ireland, def. Ainhoa Olarra, Spain, 3 and 2
2016 - Julia Engstrom, Sweden, def. Dewi Weber, Netherlands, 1-up (19 holes)
2015 - Celine Boutier, France, def. Linnea Strom, Sweden, 4 and 3
2014 - Emily Pedersen, Denmark, def. Leslie Cloots, Belgium, 3 and 1
2013 - Georgia Hall, England, def. Luna Sobron, Spain, 1-up
View Full List of Winners