The 120th Women's Amateur: Pancake and Horder to contest final

Germany’s Chiara Horder defeated the world’s leading women’s amateur golfer Ingrid Lindblad to set up a Final with Annabelle Pancake in The 120^th Women’s Amateur Championship.

The 20-year-old, placed 273^rd on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, produced the upset of the week at Prince’s to beat the Swede 4&3 in their semi-final on the Kent coast.

American Pancake, 123^rd in the world standings, is making her first visit to the UK but has quickly adapted to the hard and fast conditions and was a 2&1 victor against Elin Pudas Remler in the last four.

Horder will now aim to become the third German player to win The Women’s Amateur in the last six years, while Pancake, 21, is bidding to be the first winner from the United States of America since Kelli Kuehne in 1996.

The winner of the 36-hole Final gains entry to the AIG Women’s Open, US Women’s Open, The Amundi Evian Championship, Chevron Championship and by tradition, an invitation to compete at the Augusta National Women's Amateur Championship.

Given Lindblad, 23, tied for second in stroke play qualifying and was dominant in earlier match play rounds, it was a notable success for German national team player Horder who had not been past the last-32 in two previous appearances in The Women’s Amateur.

Lindblad found herself one down early against Horder after her birdie at the par-5 2^nd. The Swede birdied the 8^th to square the match only to bogey the 10^th. Horder’s stunning eagle at the 12^th and Lindblad’s problems in the rough on the 13^th suddenly gave the German a three-up lead. In front of good sized crowds in the warm conditions, Horder finished in style with another eagle at the 15^th.

Pancake eagled the 2^nd – her second of the day – to go ahead against Pudas Remler. It was all square when the Swede, making her Championship debut this week, sent an approach shot to five feet at the 6^th. A bogey at the 7^th from the 18-year-old saw her slip behind again only to level again with a birdie at the par-3 11^th. However, Pancake – with mum, Libby, caddying – seized control with birdies at the 12^th, 15^th and 16^th to triumph.

Watch live coverage on The R&A website

The R&A will again provide live video coverage of the Final from 8.30am on its website, www.randa.org, as well as its YouTube channel. Live coverage is also being broadcast by Sky Sports Golf.

In the morning quarter-finals, Lindblad shone in her meeting with fellow Swede Kajsa Arwefjall. After only one bogey in her two matches on Friday, she again failed to drop a shot and recorded six birdies. Three up after nine holes, Lindblad eased to a 4&3 victory.

Pudas Remler was also impressive to see off the challenge of Ireland’s Beth Coulter, the leading stroke play qualifier. Pudas Remler held a narrow one-hole lead after eight holes before a bogey from Coulter and back-to-back birdies from the Swede took her four up. Coulter responded with three birdies but clutch putts from Pudas Remler on the 15^th and 16^th sealed a 3&2 win.

Pancake and Catherine Rao – who met in the last-16 of the US Women’s Amateur last year when Rao triumphed – had a tight tussle. Pancake birdied the first two holes and was never behind, but there was only one hole in it going into the final four holes. Rao played a brilliant tee shot to the par-3 17^th and an approach to five feet at the 18^th, but Pancake held firm and holed from 20 feet for a winning birdie at the last.

Horder was never ahead in her quarter-final until victory at the 19^th hole against Ffion Tynan. The 20-year-old from Wales was two up after 11 holes but struggled at the finish to allow the German to progress.

View scoring from The Women’s Amateur Championship here.

Spectators are welcome

Spectators are welcome to attend The Women’s Amateur Championship with tickets available to purchase at www.randa.org. Adult tickets are available from £10, with a four-day ticket just £25.

To encourage children and young people to attend The Women’s Amateur Championship, The R&A will continue the successful ‘Kids go Free’ programme which provides children under-16-years-old free entry to the Championship when accompanied by a paying adult. Half-price youth tickets are also available for 16-24-year-olds.