As the self-described "outsider" in the final shake-up, Alison Coffey displayed quite admirable composure when the going got tough in the Leinster Women's Amateur Open Championship, sponsored by MacGregor, at The `K' Club yesterday. And, in achieving her first "major" title, the 25-year-old Belfast-based engineer had the added distinction of beating former British champion Lillian Behan in the final.
In the end, Coffey, yet another product of the Warrenpoint golfing nursery, recorded a two holes win over the Curragh's Behan. On a day when persistent rain proved to be a real nuisance, the most remarkable aspect of the final duel was that it reached the 18th green at all, given that Coffey was four up after 10 holes and apparently cruising.
"I was a wee bit tense walking up the 18th," admitted Coffey afterwards, soaked but happy after taking her first senior crown. Those nerves were none too visible though as she safely reached the putting surface on the par five finishing hole in three, then watched as Behan - for the third time in the match - put her approach into the lake to effectively give Coffey victory. It was a disappointing finish to what had been a gallant fight-back from Behan.
Coffey, who is part of a four-player Irish team flying out today to compete in the Scottish Open Strokeplay Championship at Royal Troon, thus ended a frustrating time of "always being the bridesmaid and never the bride." She'd lost in three Ulster finals in previous years and also lost in the Irish semi-finals last season.
However, a week-long spell in Portugal with the Irish panel under the guidance of national coach Howard Bennett earlier this month sharpened up her game. "I was swinging so well coming into this event that I thought to myself, `if I don't win a title this season, I never will'," she remarked. And the former three-time Ulster girls' and one-time Leinster girls' champion was true to her word.
In the semi-finals, Coffey - the only non-Leinster survivor into the final day - had eked out a one-hole win over defending champion Hazel Kavanagh, while Behan was hugely impressive in recording a 4 and 3 win over Dundalk's Yvonne Cassidy. Upon reaching the last four on Tuesday evening, Coffey had remarked, "I'm the only outsider left" - to which her father, and caddie, Brian had replied: "Not for the first time." And the assumption was left hanging in the air that it wouldn't be the last time either.
Nor did it bother her performance in the final. Coffey, in fact, was two under par for the front nine and three up at the turn. The Ulster player went one up at the short fifth where Behan's tee-shot found a watery grave; went two up with birdie at the eighth and also birdied the ninth to forge ahead.
At the 10th, Behan's approach out of semi-rough dived into the water and, so, Coffey went four ahead and seemed to be in cruise-control. Her striking was pure, and her putting - "I'd finally got the pace of the greens" - seemed flawless. Yet, Coffey failed to close out the match. She was two under par after 12 holes but proceeded to bogey four of next five.
Behan won the 13th and 15th to be just two down playing the 16th. There, her tee-shot ricocheted off a tree and she could just lay-up with her second. Coffey opted to hit a six-iron for her approach, was too big and took three to get down to halve the hole in bogeys. Behan took advantage of her reprieve to win the 17th and take the match up the last, but her fight-back petered out when her wedge shot to the green plunged into the water and allowed Coffey, who had played the hole superbly, to take the championship.
Semi-Finals - A Coffey (Warrenpoint) bt H Kavanagh (Grange) 1 hole; L Behan (Curragh) bt Y Cassidy (Dundalk) 2 holes; final - Coffey bt Behan 2 holes.
