Lily Storms to National Title

By Chris Stratford

The extensive practice Huddersfield’s Lily Hirst put into her preparations for the English Women’s Open Stroke Play championship not only sharpened her game, it also bolstered her confidence.

So much so that the Kansas University collegiate golfer told her mum, Caroline, after one session at Fixby, ‘If I can play as well as I practised today, I’ve got a good chance in this event.’

Better than good, as it turned out, with the 21-year- old sweeping to a four-shot victory at Stoneham, Hampshire, on a wave of positive thinking.

“Being able to be so confident in my practice beforehand, when it came to the tournament there was no unnecessary stress,” she revealed.

“I knew that I could perform to the best of my ability because I had prepared really well.”

She made eagle two at the 221-yard seventh on her way to a final-round four-under- par 70 and a comfortable margin over runner-up Darcey Harry, from Royal Porthcawl, having opened with scores of 71, 75 and 74.

“The 7th is driveable and I hit a 5-wood and it bounced perfectly onto the green,” recalled Hirst. “I had a six- foot putt downhill, I got over it and as soon as I looked at the hole, I knew I was going to hole it. As soon as I did hole it, I knew it was going to be a good day.”

More good days would quickly follow with Hirst being selected to represent England Golf in the European Ladies’ Team Championship in Madrid, Spain, as well as golf manufacturer Ping offering her a sponsorship deal that will see her supplied with clubs and accessories for her amateur career “and hopefully

going into a professional career”.

Then she learned that she and five Kansas University Jayhawks teammates had been honoured by being named in the 2023-24 Women’s Golf Coaches’ Association All-American Scholar Team – an accolade that acknowledges prowess both on the course and in the classroom.

To win at Stoneham, Hirst had to overcome a 123-strong field that featured the cream of England as well as top players from 14 other nations, including eight from mainland Europe plus the UAE, Singapore and Thailand.

Last year, while a student at the University of the Incarnate Word, in San Antonio, Texas, she arrived home from college just days before the Yorkshire Ladies Amateur Championship at The Bradford Golf Club and won the title at her fifth attempt.

Hirst then switched universities that summer due to uncertainty over the future of the golf team in San Antonio following her coach Aimee Ponte’s departure to take up the head coach’s job at the University of Cincinnati.

“I had the decision to either stay in Texas, without knowing if we’d get a new coach or any new team players, or to transfer, so then I decided to go into the transfer pot,” she said.

“Kansas and Washington State were the two that I was looking at the most and Kansas caught my eye.

“I’m glad I moved there because, as you can tell with my results, I’ve just come on leaps and bounds. I feel like even my teammates and my coaches at Kansas want the best for everybody. We put in so much work.”

In December, she also began working with a new coach back home, Lysa Jones, at The Oaks and said: “My game has been transformed massively since last year. She’s great. I started with the Yorkshire Girls in 2016, I think it was, so I’ve known Lysa since then.

“I’ve been to county match week and county finals and all sorts of training sessions with her and we gel really well, which is good. She’s just a great person as well.

“She has changed just subtle aspects and she’s also helped me a lot with my putting. Before I would have said that was a weakness and now I would say it’s one of my strengths. Working on my technique and mastering the basics really helped [at Stoneham].”

While knowing she was in contention, Hirst was unaware after holing out on the 18th in her final round of the English Women’s Open Stroke Play that she had achieved a comfortable win. Spectators quickly let her know.

“It was crazy walking off the last green. Everyone was applauding me and saying well done. It’s still sinking in really. People keep saying to me, ‘You’re English champion,’ but I keep thinking that I’m still the same Lily that went and the same one that came back.”

POSTSCRIPT: Lily led the England team with her -4 in strokeplay qualifying at the European Championships in Spain, where England ultimately won the Bronze Medal.