Great Cornard's Lily May Humphreys claims third big title of 2019 with victory in the Annika Invitational Europe
Great Cornard-based Lily May Humphreys has won her third big title of 2019 with a wire-to-wire victory in the Annika Invitational Europe last week.
The Stoke-by-Nayland-trained England star was victorious in both the Welsh Open Stroke Play and Irish Open Championships last month.
And now the 17-year-old has added to her growing haul of tournament wins this year with another success, finishing 12 under par after 54 holes to score a one-shot win over the international field at Vasatorps Golf Club, in Sweden.
Humphreys is the first English winner of the Annika Invitational Europe, an event which was held for the first time back in 2012 and is open to the best female junior golfers in Europe.
Humphreys, who is currently ranked 26th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, was one of five players in the top-100 in the field of 79 players, which represented 23 different countries across the continent.
This latest win for the teenager brings a Ladies European Tour exemption into the La Reserva de Sotogrande Invitational, hosted by Annika, as well as coveted PING Junior Solheim Cup points.
Humphreys opened with scores of 69 and 68 and held a three-shot lead as the final round got under way.
Denmark’s Anne Normann chased her hard, shooting four-under on the front nine and drawing level after a fifth birdie on the 10th.
But Humphreys moved ahead with birdies on 14 and 16 and, although Normann birdied the last, the title belonged to the English player.
“When Anne made three birdies in a row to get within one, the back nine became a bit edgy, but it was a fun day,” she said afterwards.
Annika Sorenstam commented: “Big congratulations to Lily May on the win and I look forward to following the future successes of all the players.”
Slovenia’s Pia Babnik, the winner of the Portugese Girls’ Intercollegiate, Atlantic Girls’ Youth Trophy and Scottish Open Championship this year, started the final day eight shots behind the leader Humphreys, and shot a final round of 66, the best of anyone in the tournament, to halve that lead and finish in third place.
ANNIKA Invitational Europe 2019: 207 Lily May Humphreys (England) 69, 68, 70; 208 Anne Normann (Denmark) 72, 68, 68; 211 Pia Babnik (Slovenia) 72, 73, 66; 213 Lilas Pinthier (France) 72, 69, 72; 216 Benedetta Moresco (Italy) 77, 71, 68; 217 Amalie Leth-Nissen (Denmark) 75, 72, 70; Paula Kirner (Germany) 71, 71, 75; Hannah Darling (Scotland) 70, 73, 74; 218 Adela Cernousek (France) 73, 76, 69; Euphemie Rhodes (England) 76, 72, 70.
