Katie flies Northern flag

Yorkshire County Ladies star Katie Stephens won the 2024 English Amateur Championship after a thrilling week at Seaton Carew.

Middlesbrough member Stephens took the women’s title on the 36th hole of the final despite Shivani Karthikeyan holing 25-foot putts on 16 and 17 to take their match down the last.

The lead changed hands no fewer than six times between Stephens and the Peterborough Milton golfer in a fantastic battle.

Neither player got more than two holes ahead throughout, and in a dramatic finish, Karthikeyan holed 25-foot putts to stay in the match before a mistake on the final hole handed Stephens a 2-up victory.

Stephens lost a ball on the 2nd to give Karthikeyan the lead and was 2-down after a mistake on the 6th. But she holed some crucial par putts and fought back to lead after 10 holes. Karthikeyan then holed a 25-foot putt for birdie to win the 11th, and despite Stephens almost driving the 12th, she couldn’t get up-and-down for birdie and her playing partner stuck her approach to 12 feet to hole the putt and win with another birdie, help- ing her win three holes on the spin.

The pair then exchanged holes before Stephens made par-birdie-par to turn things around once again, including a 25-foot birdie putt on 17. Not a single hole was halved on the back-nine, with the lead having changed hands four times.

After the break Stephens quickly went 2-up but her opponent drew level winning the next two holes.

Both ladies missed chances before Karthikeyan took the lead with a birdie on 8 before Stephens hit straight back.

The pair halved the next four holes until Karthikeyan was off target from the tee and Stephens’ par edged her ahead, and she got up-and- down on 15 to take a two- hole advantage with just three to play.

The first long putt on 16 narrowed the margin to one, and the next secured a half to take Stephens down the last. But the Peterborough Milton golfer had to take a drop from the long grass after a wayward tee shot and Stephens hit the green to seal a 2-up win.

Stephens said afterwards: “It feels surreal! I can’t believe it but it feels pretty good. I think the turning point for me was getting to the semi-finals as I’ d never made it that far before. I felt pretty confident about my game all week but I didn’t want to get cocky!”

After Karthikeyan’s two big putts to take the game down the 18th, Stephens revealed: “After those putts I was just telling myself, try and keep up with her, don’t make a mistake, don’t give it away. She got in trouble off the tee so it was about making par and keeping it steady.

“I’ll definitely chill out as it’s been a long week (after 10 rounds in eight days). I’ll spend some time with my family and just enjoy it. I’m going to have to try and find somewhere at home for the trophy as there’s not much room!”

Crosland Heath’s Aaliyah Hryniewiecka-Irwin made it to the quarter-finals before losing 3&2 to the eventual champion and her county teammate Stephens, having qualified in third place on level par.

Stephens qualified in 6th on the same +2 score as Cookridge Hall’s Zara Ali. Ali, Lindrick’s Mia Eales-Smith and Ganton’s Amy Staveley went out in the first matchplay round, Staveley going down to eventual champion Stephens.