29th of June, 2024, Portmarnock, Ireland: Melanie Green, from the United States of America, crowns a dream debut at the 121st Women’s Amateur and claims a victory by two holes over Scottish Lorna McClymont after an epic final in Portmarnock.
The 22-year-old player has come back from a four-hole disadvantage after eight holes, being patient and winning the tight 36-hole competition on a rainy day in Ireland.
McClymont, 23, had a one-hole advantage with three to go, but Green showed remarkable resilience and sealed the win with a 22-foot putt for birdie on the last hole.
Green thus becomes the first American to win this prestigious title since Kelli Kuehne did it in 1996 at Royal Liverpool.
Thanks to her victory, the graduate from the University of South Florida has secured a spot in the Amundi Evian Championship and the AIG Women’s Open, which will take place this summer, and in the Chevron Championship and the US Women’s Open, which will take place in 2025. Green, who ranks 53rd in the world amateur ranking, will also traditionally receive an invitation to compete in next year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Green, who will also be invited to play in a Ladies European Tour event, joins a list of Women’s Amateur Champions that includes Babe Zaharias, Catriona Matthew, Carlota Ciganda, Anna Nordqvist, Georgia Hall, Céline Boutier and Leona Maguire.
In these tough conditions, McClymont, from Milngavie, who had her mother, Gail, as caddie, was the most agile, and Green’s bogey on hole 3 gave the Scot the initial advantage. The American was unable to escape from the rough on hole 5 and was forced to concede the hole. Green, who chose not to have a caddie, continued to battle against the bad weather and found herself three down on 6 after McClymont’s first birdie in the final. A bogey from Green on hole 8 put her four down and in real trouble before coming back.
A birdie on 9 after an excellent approach gave wings to Green, who suddenly got down to work despite the incessant rain. As Green stabilised, McClymont, from the University of Stirling, made four consecutive bogeys from 11 and lost three of them. McClymont struggled on 16, allowing Green to recover and take the lead for the first time, a lead she maintained until the midday break.
Green, a member of the US team for next week’s Arnold Palmer Cup at Lahinch, went two up when her opponent’s tee shot found a penalty area on hole 21. The two players exchanged the next two holes before McClymont took the lead. They exchanged the next two holes before the Scot’s bogey on the par 5 of 24 left her three down.
McClymont, 131st in the amateur ranking and twice winner of the R&A Student Tour Series Order of Merit, recovered with a winning par on the short hole 25 and her second birdie of the day on 28 to be only one down again. Green had opportunities to extend the lead, especially missing a short putt on the par 5 of 31, before the Scot levelled the match after a magnificent approach to a metre and a half on 32.
McClymont holed the next from 5 metres and made two consecutive birdies to take the lead, but Green immediately replied with a birdie on the long 34 and the crowd enjoyed a great finish. When the sun finally came out, McClymont made a bogey on 35 before Green’s decisive birdie.
Since the start of the week, 144 world-class players competed on the famous links north of Dublin, representing 35 countries, including no less than 21 players ranked among the top 50 in the world and four among the top ten.
Green also added her name to a list of illustrious winners who have triumphed at Portmarnock in various championships, including Arnold Palmer, Ben Crenshaw, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer and José María Olazábal.
The Women’s Amateur has only been played at Portmarnock on one previous occasion, 93 years ago, in 1931, and the venue last hosted The Amateur Championship in 2019, when local player James Sugrue emerged victorious.
Nairn will host the 122nd Women’s Amateur Championship from 9 to 14 June 2025.
