Gator freshman Annabell Fuller came in second at the 117th Amateur Women’s Championship at West Lancashire Golf Club in Liverpool, England, this past weekend.
Fuller, an English native, held a three-stroke lead early in the match. However, she was unable to hold off Stanford’s Aline Krauter who won the tournament with a 1-up advantage.
The first two rounds of the tournament were stroke play, followed by two final rounds of match play. Fuller was in 18th after the first portion of the tournament, but during match play, she ran through her competition—that is, until she met Krauter on Sunday.
Fuller got off to a fast start in the final round, winning three of the first four holes. Krauter fired back, winning six out of the next eight to take a commanding lead. She held a 3-up advantage heading into the par-5 16th hole, but Fuller was far from out of it.
Fuller birdied to crawl back to within two of Krauter. After Krauter found the bunker on the 17th, Fuller closed the gap to one headed into 18.
Krauter kept the pressure on, making par on the last hole. Fuller had a chance to send the match into a playoff but was unable to sink her birdie putt.
“I played my best, a couple of shots leaked here and there, but nothing major,” Fuller told R&A after the tournament. “She (Krauter) played great golf. I tried my best to the very end and if I had holed my birdie putt it could have been different. This week has given me more motivation to practice even harder and achieve more.”
Fuller’s second-place finish continues a strong run for her over the last month. In her two prior tournaments, she won the English Women’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship and placed second in the Swiss International Ladies’ Championship. She’s currently ranked 41st in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Fuller started her collegiate career in the spring, enrolling at UF a semester early. During the shortened spring season, she appeared in every lineup for the Gators. She placed in the top 25 twice, finishing as high as third overall.
Fuller will look to continue the momentum at upcoming tournaments with the Gators later this fall.
Follow Michael Hull on Twitter @Michael_Hull33.
Junior Addie Baggarly kneels down to contemplate a putt. Her teammate Annabell Fuller came in second at the Amateur Women’s Championship this past weekend.
Michael Hull is a fourth-year journalism sports & media major and a sports writer at The Alligator. He hosts the weekly sports podcast and has worked on staff for five semesters. In the past, Hull has served as the sports editor, the men's and women's golf beat writer, the volleyball beat writer and the football beat writer.
