ORMOND BEACH, Fla. — A two-shot lead with several holes to play at Oceanside Country Club isn’t exactly a comfortable cushion. Along with the normal challenges, there’s a lot of water over the final mile or so to the safety of the clubhouse.
Ellen Hume kept dry and kept the chasers at arm’s length with a few par saves, then closed things out dramatically with an eagle on the par-5 17th, a birdie on the par-4 18th, and in the end, a five-shot win in her first attempt at the Sally Amateur.
“It’s definitely a tough course, so I’m very happy,” said Hume, an England native and junior at Ole Miss. “The Sally is a massive tournament and I’m really glad to win it.”
Scores: Sally Amateur
Hume’s 72-hole total of 5-under-par 283 was five clear of 15-year-old Bailey Shoemaker, who shot 72 on Saturday and had several birdie putts tickle the edge of the cup over the closing stretch of holes. Xin “Cindy” Kou, a future USC Trojan, was alone in third at 1 over after a closing 72.
Hume began the day with a two-shot lead and saw it sliced immediately with a bogey on the first. She had two more bogeys and a pair of birdies to make the nine-hole turn in 1-over 37 before stringing together a birdie and six pars on the back ahead of her eagle-birdie finish.
“It wasn’t easy to start with, but I managed to hang in there and got it going a little bit on the back,” she said.
Hume did it all in cool temps and a steady breeze, both of which are always accentuated on the wide-open beachside layout. That, according to the London native, might’ve played to her advantage.
“It does remind me of home,” she said. “The wind and the cold, it’s definitely English.”
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