ELLEN YATES, a member of West Hill Golf Club at Brookwood, has won the English Women’s Amateur Championship.

In the final at Ferndown in east Dorset, Yates – who is about to begin her freshman year at the University of Houston in the US – overcame Rebecca Earl (Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire).

They played a superb front nine as they matched each other hole for hole, except for the fourth, where Yates made a mistake to put Earl one up.

The scoreline did not change again until the 11th, when Earl – a former Houston student – extended her lead with a birdie.

With her father Jon on the bag, Yates bounced back tremendously to win the 15th before making a tremendous recovery on the 16th. 

With both balls off the tee in practically identical positions, Earl was short on the green and Yates was long, bouncing out of bounds into the bush but popping back on to the path. 

With the free relief, she was able to produce a stunning up-and-down for par to halve the hole.

Earl remained one up going into the last. But her first tee shot went out of bounds, before she almost holed her fourth shot from the fairway from 153 yards. 

Yates, an ex-pupil of Woking High School, made par to take it down the 19th where they matched each other again. 

On the 20th, Yates hit one straight but short, and Earl hit the bunker left before sending one slightly out the back. 

After missing the bogey putt, Earl conceded.

Yates said: “It’s amazing. I knew I could still give myself a chance to win despite being behind, as I was two down in the morning semi-finals [against Caitlin Whitehead of Carus Green, Cumbria].

“I knew I could fight back, and my dad on the bag was saying the same thing. 

“It was great having him there for my last tournament before I head to the US.”

Yates has been playing golf since she was six years old, representing Woking High School, Surrey, England and Great Britain & Ireland along the way.

Last week she helped England retain The R&A Boys’ and Girls’ Home Internationals crown at Lindrick, South Yorkshire. 

England secured a combined 13-8 win over Ireland to take the title, the girls triumphing 8-1.