Women's Amateur Championship: Jess Baker and Louise Rydqvist to contest final

England’s Jess Baker and Louise Rydqvist from Sweden will contest the Final of the 119^th Women’s Amateur Championship after both producing memorable performances at Hunstanton.

Newcastle native Baker ousted in-form duo Emilie Alba Paltrinieri from Italy and Curtis Cup player Hannah Darling to reach the 36-hole Final over the Norfolk links.

Rydqvist, who has just finished her freshman year at the University of South Carolina, rallied from two down with three to play to win all three holes and edge out Spain’s Carla Bernat – the fifth knock-out match in-a-row she has won at the 18^th or after extra holes this week.

There is much at stake tomorrow with the winner earning places in the AIG Women’s Open, US Women’s Open, The Amundi Evian Championship and, by tradition, an invitation to the Augusta National Women's Amateur Championship.

Baker causes an upset

Baker, ranked 518^th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking and a student at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, produced one of her best displays to oust reigning R&A Girls’ Amateur Champion Darling, who sits 16^th on WAGR.

Darling, 18, drove through the green on the opening par-4 but lost the hole to Baker’s birdie. Darling fought back but bogeyed the 5^th and was then bunkered at the 6^th to go behind before Baker’s birdie at the par-5 8^th gave her a two-hole lead.

The 19-year-old from Newcastle then made a brilliant eagle at the par-5 11^th to increase her lead to three before Darling, who was seeking back-to-back Scottish successes after Louise Duncan’s win last year, hit back at the 12^th and 15^th with birdies. However, a superb birdie from Baker at the short 16^th and an up-and-down for par at the next, helped by a decisive 20-foot putt, saw her triumph 2&1.

Rydqvist's first Women's Amateur Championship

In warm and windy conditions, Bernat, 18, and Rydqvist, 20, shared eight birdies between them in a high-quality front nine, with Bernat holding the edge by a hole.

The pair then shared the next four holes, after both bogeying the 11^th and making birdies at the 12^th, before Bernat went two ahead with a birdie at the short 14^th. It looked a good advantage but she bogeyed the 16^th and 17^th to allow Rydqvist to draw level. The Spaniard’s sliced drive at the 18^th led to another bogey and the Swede – 143^rd on WAGR and making her Championship debut – made par for a one-hole victory.

Morning quarter-finals

In the morning’s quarter-finals, there was a brave bid from Kelsey Bennett who took Rydqvist into overtime. The Swede made a superb birdie at the 16^th to go two-up but her Aussie opponent made a 25-foot birdie putt at the 17^th and then won the 18^th with a par to keep the match alive. The pair both birdied the 19^th after Rydqvist almost drove the green, before she prevailed at the 20^th.

England's Rebecca Earl birdied the opening hole and maintained an early lead against Bernat in their last-four tie, yet birdies from the Spaniard at the 8^th and 9^th turned the match around. Earl replied with an eagle at the 11^th but Bernat closed out a one-hole win.

Baker turned on the style to seal her place in the last four, going one better than her run to the quarter-finals last year at Kilmarnock (Barassie). Two birdies early on helped her to a commanding four-hole lead at the turn against Paltrinieri, who was runner-up in stroke play qualifying. Baker matched her birdies at the 11^th and 12^th and stayed strong for a 3&2 win.

Darling posted four birdies and just one dropped shot as she ended Italian title hopes, with the Scot claiming a 2&1 victory over Alessandra Fanali.

A chance to tee it up at Muirfield

The finalists are bidding to join an impressive list of former winners including LPGA winner Leona Maguire and major winners Georgia Hall, Catriona Matthew and Anna Nordqvist – last year's AIG Women's Open Champion at Carnoustie.

The R&A will provide live broadcast coverage of the 36-hole Final on Saturday. This can be watched on The R&A’s website randa.org as well as its YouTube channel.

The 119th Women’s Amateur Championship is also open to spectators with free tickets available here.

View the full Women's Amateur Championship match play scoring here.