Transatlantic travels for Charlotte

Fixby’s Charlotte Heath has retained her place in the England Golf women’s squad for 2022, with a busy international schedule ahead. This year England will look to retain their Home International crown at Ballyliffin in Ireland and also the European title when they defend at Conwy in Wales. The squad will then head to France for the World Championships aiming to become the first English team to lift the Espirito Santo Trophy in this 29th staging of the event. Her confirmation as an England women’s stalwart comes on the back of an outstanding Freshman year playing for the Florida State Seminoles, where she earned Golfweek’s All-America Honourable Mention status and won 2021 All- Atlantic Coast Conference honours. Heath tied the Florida State low- round record with a 65 in the Valspar Augusta Invitational, and led the team to three 2021 titles. Also in FSU’s autumn schedule Heath partnered fellow English recruit Dan Bradbury to victory in their mixed foursomes match against no.1 ranked Oklahoma State during the Barbara Nicklaus Cup at Muirfield Village, in which the FSU team eventually finished fourth. Already in the 2022 Spring season as a second-year Sophomore, Heath has had an individual 4th place finish in the opening Moon Invitational, leading the Seminoles to the team title over 14 rival colleges. The Seminoles’ no.1 seeded woman golfer led the way with three solid rounds of 70 as they won the title by six clear shots. Twenty-year-old Heath is joined in the England side by Rosie Belsham, Annabell Fuller, Caley McGinty, Mimi Rhodes and Amelia Williamson. All were either playing members or reserves in the squads which won last summer’s European Ladies’ Team Championships at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland and then kept hold of their Home Internationals title at Woodhall Spa. In addition, Fuller, Heath and McGinty all featured for GB&I in the Curtis Cup clash with the United States of America at Conwy Golf Club in August. Jennifer Henderson, assistant performance manager for women’s golf, said: “I think I speak for the entire coaching team when I say it is a privilege to have the opportunity to work with this exceptionally talented group of players this year. “With an exciting year of golf ahead, these players remain committed, ambitious, and determined in the pursuit of excellence. Our national coaching team will support this group of players technically, physically, and mentally throughout the year to help realise individual goals. “After a challenging few years because of the pandemic, 2022 promises to provide ever greater coaching and competitive opportunities.

These players will not only be focusing on developing their skills in the quest for individual success in terms of titles and representative selections, but a great squad dynamic will also help towards achieving our shared goal of defending the European Ladies’ Team Championship and contending for a medal at the World Championship in August. “Having not been held for four years, the Espirito Santo World Championship is the pinnacle of team golf for England where we get to compete against the very best players from around the globe. “Whilst elite female amateur golf continues to become ever more com- petitive, this group of players will have every opportunity to add to their already successful amateur careers in 2022 – we can’t wait to see how they get on.”