Hayley Bettencourt (Mandurah) has added the Queensland Women’s Amateur title to her Stroke Play Championship won earlier in the week at Pacific Harbour Golf and Country Club.

With a blistering start, Bettencourt jumped to a 4 hole lead through 7 holes over Ali Orchard (Surfers Paradise), yet more excitement was to come. A perfectly struck iron to the par 3 8^th, landed in the centre of the green, fed down the slope and into the hole, to record her second ace for the week! Orchard’s valiant attempt to halve the hole looked on line, yet came up 2 feet short.

As the wind picked up, Bettencourt’s approach play was sublime with the resulting tap-in birdies giving Orchard no chance to peg back the lead before the half-way break.  

After the morning’s round, Bettencourt was 6 up but Orchard never felt out of the match and knew that a few birdies of her own would put the pressure back onto Bettencourt.

Orchard clawed back to 4 down through 27 holes but Bettencourt’s response to Orchard’s charge was clinical. Whenever Bettencourt looked in trouble, her short game salvaged the required pars to maintain her lead.

A crisply struck hybrid to 10 feet, set up a 2 putt birdie on the 30^th hole, matched by Orchard when she holed her six foot attempt.

When Orchard was unable to get up and down from the greenside bunker, Bettencourt had won.

The match was played in great spirit and both players are to be applauded for the way they approached the match.

https://golfqueensland.worldsecuresystems.com/gq-events/qld-mens-womens-amateur