Alwoodley, Yorkshire, England, Aug 16: Mannat Brar who trailed till the eighth hole in her quarter-final against Switzerland’s Sarah Uebelhart completed a fine 1-up win after a see-saw batter to enter the semi-finals of the R&A’s Girls’ Amateur Championship at Alwoodley in England.
Mannat is due to meet Poland’s Krawczynska Matylda in the semi-final. She beat Sweden’s Amanda Gyliner 4&3 in another quarter-final match.
In the other quarter-final matches, Kylee Choi of US beat French player Celeste Bobo Lloret 3&2, Havanna Torsetnsson of Sweden beat Norway’s Henriette Spilling Gjelten 5&3.
The IGU star Mannat Brar, seeking to become the first Indian to win the R&A’s Girls’ Amateur Championship, is the first Indian to reach the semi-finals. The Girls Under-18 was first played in 1919.
The R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship is a coveted junior title, which gives the winner exemptions Women’s Amateur Championship, the US Girls’ Junior Championship, Final Qualifying for the AIG Women’s Open and by tradition, an invite to compete at Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship.
Mannat, who lost in the first round of the Match play in 2023, qualified for the match play segment of the Championship by finishing Tied-fourth, but was seeded seventh. She shot rounds of 70-72 and her second round included an eagle at the course that was the first designed by the legendary Alister Mackenzie.
Mannat had a tough beginning in match play. She won her Round of 32 by one hole against Matilde Santilli. It became tougher in the next round as she won the Round 16 on the 19thafter being 3-down at one stage against England’s Emily Peabody. In the Round of eight she beat Emily’s sister Annabel by a massive 6&4 margin.
In the quarter finals, Mannat moved past Switzerland’s Sarah Uebelhart 1-up to get into the semi-finals.
The other Indian, Zara Anand shot 73-77 and finished T-49th to qualify for match play. She won her Round of 32 beating England’s Elizabeth Norwood 5&4 but lost to Celeste Bob Lloret 3&1 in the round of 16.
Mannat, who has represented India multiple times as part Indian Golf Union’s national squads, made a bogey start in the quarter finals against Sarah Uebelhart. However, she birdied the second to catch up immediately.
Mannat dropped bogeys on the fifth and sixth to go 1-down before Sarah dropped a birdie on the ninth. The two were all square ahead of the back nine.
Both birdied the 10th and Mannat went 1-up with a birdie on the 11th. The see-saw battle continued as the Swiss player birdied the 12thto even matters. A dropped shot by Sarah on the 13th gave the Indian an edge with five holes to go. Mannat went 2-up as Sarah double bogeyed the 15th.
The Swiss played parred the last three holes but Mannat despite a bogey on 17th held her nerve and progressed into the semis with 1-up win.
Mannat said, “On a day like this, par is often good enough to win holes. These were the toughest conditions of the week so far. The other events I have played, like The Women’s Amateur Championship, have really helped me deal with bad conditions. I was confident coming into this and it is growing. I have a game plan and I know when to play safe and when to go for it.”
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