Somerset’s Hannah Woodley is the toast of her county after winning a national title at

Frilford Heath Golf Club, Oxfordshire.

 

Woodley, from Enmore Park, is the new English Women’s County Champion of Champions,

winning the title with a score of three-over par after 36 holes, with rounds of 71 72 on the

Green course.

 

She finished a shot ahead of Northumberland’s Ami Story (Bedlingtonshire), while Nottinghamshire’s Libby Kilbride (Dore & Totley) was third, a further five shots back.

 

Woodley – or Hannah Grant, as she was known until her marriage last year – commented: “I’m over the moon. It’s an incredible feeling to win a big one.”

 

The key to her success was her mental approach: “This is a thinker’s golf course, you don’t need to hit it miles, but you need to put it in the right position to hit the green.”

 

She’s been Somerset county champion four times in the past five years and she’s played at women’s Champion of Champions since the event was started in 2016. “It’s a really good tournament, an amazing addition to the calendar – and I’d think that even if I didn’t get through! It’s a really good way to round off the season.”

 

Woodley, 31, was a regular on the national amateur circuit, but when she worked as an emergency call handler for the police for over five years she had to cut back on her playing commitments. Five months ago she returned to the golfing world with a new job as a tournament controller for the PGA’s South West and Wales region.

 

“It’s fantastic,” she said. “I’m enjoying being back around golf and it’s lovely to watch good golf – maybe that’s helped, it’s rubbed off on me!”