Championship club top notch

THE Wilmslow club have enhanced their already enviable reputation with an immaculate staging of the England women’s amateur championship.

Essex girl, Georgina Blackman, held off the challenges of two Curtis Cup players, the national matchplay champion and a US college circuit star to win by one shot on eight-under.

Her behind-the-scenes story illustrates why Wilmslow will be able to capitalise more than most on their course being deemed worthy of hosting a national event.

A higher number of visiting players is inevitable. But how will they be greeted at the bar?

In Simon and Karen Ward, Wilmslow are blessed with a husband and wife team who won the England Golf Steward of the Year Competition in 2013.

They were puzzled by Georgina’s mother, Liz, asking for ice three times a day. Was her daughter nursing a secret injury?

Liz said: “Georgina is one of those people who drinks lots of water all day on or off the course, and she likes it with ice – whether the weather is hot or cold.”

So what happened when the bar ran out of ice on the final day? She said: “Simon drove to Sainsbury’s, got some ice and had come back with it by the time we reached the next tee!”

Georgina, 22, got into the lead with a 13th hole birdie, dropped back into a tie with a bogey on 15, but conjured up the winning stroke on the 17th by holing out from 30 feet.

Liz added: “Georgina won because she played really well – but she was chuffed to get that ice and it helped to keep her routine going. That level of consideration was typical of everybody we met at Wilmlsow.”

The club recruited 63 volunteers from among their membership to help run the tournament, which included an England Golf referee in Wendy Taylor. It was Georgina’s first major win and it comes after she graduated from Western Kentucky University in May with a degree in business communications.