Claire Smith wins her fourth Bradford Ladies' Golf Championship
Claire Smith won the Bradford Ladies' Golf Championship this year and made history by becoming the first person to win the event 4 times.
This year, Smith competed fiercely for the trophy and won with a 5 and 4 score against Natalie Ireland. Another reason to remember this year’s performance was the fact that Smith broke the course record with a score of 70 in a round.
Claire Smith is an upcoming golfer whose reputation in golf circles rests on her tremendous performance in the almost every event she plays in. This tournament was no different with Smith playing a great game till the very end.
She started the final round with an eagle. This proved to be a great omen as Smith dominated this round and Natalie Ireland had to play second fiddle to her, despite having the home course advantage.
Commenting on her win, she said, “Winning the Bradford title means a lot. It’s nice to have the trophy back after a few years. I played very steady”.
This is one of the rare occasions when a golfer wins against an opposition with home course advantage. Usually, the home course advantage matters a great deal in golf and familiarity with the layout has a direct impact on the score at every hole.
Smith played well throughout the final round. She managed to score a string of birdies while avoiding bogeying on all the holes. This is the kind of performance that observers have come to expect from the 25-year-old player.
Smith won the Bradford Ladies' Golf Championship in 2006. This was back when she used to be single and played under her maiden name Starkie. She went to Georgia State University on a golf scholarship and since then, has a great life.
Smith has a long association with the Bradford Ladies' Golf Championship. She was just 16 when she first won the event. That was a great moment in Smith’s gold career.
The championship became a family matter when she played against her mother, Jackie Starkie in the 2007 edition.
Smith commented on this, “We play a lot together but that was the first time we’ve played against each other in this type of competition”.
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