Charlotte Naughton, a 16-year-old golf prodigy from Longhirst Hall, delivered an outstanding performance at the St Rule Trophy at St Andrews Links.
Her remarkable -13 over three rounds secured her a second-place finish, just two shots shy of Sweden’s Elice Fredriksson.
Despite missing the top spot, Naughton’s excellence earned her the prestigious Lawson Trophy, awarded to the best under-18 player, finishing a whopping 13 strokes ahead of her nearest rival.
Reflecting on her triumph, Naughton expressed her satisfaction: “I played in the tournament the year before and did okay but it was another great experience, especially playing the Old Course on Sunday.
The leader birdied the 1st and there was a two-shot swing quite early on and from then I caught her a little bit but it wasn’t quite enough.
“But if someone told me beforehand I’d come 2nd, I’d have been over the moon, so I am pleased.”
“I did shoot -5 and trying to catch Elice was going to be difficult but I did play well so I guess I couldn’t do much more.”
“Coming into the event I knew there was an U18 trophy so that was one of my main goals. It’s nice to win that and it’s now sat in my trophy cabinet in my lounge!”
Balancing golf with academics, Naughton had little time to celebrate her Lawson Trophy win.
She shared: “We went straight back home, saw my family and then I tried to get some revision done. I had Maths and Sports exams on Monday so I had to cram it in!”
With six more exams looming, Naughton’s summer is set to be a whirlwind of competition and study.
Her next major event is the English U18 at Hesketh, but she has her sights firmly set on excelling at the English U16 Championship at Tandridge and representing England in the Europeans, Home Internationals, and Junior Masters in Slovakia.
Looking ahead, Naughton has ambitious plans: “After school, I’d like to go to Sixth Form and then university in America, is my big goal, to do a golf scholarship.”
At the St Rule Trophy, other English players also made a strong showing. Jessica Hall (Bishop Auckland), Lucy Jamieson (Heswall), Davina Xanh (Burnham & Berrow), and Eleanor Monk (Sunningdale) all finished in the top-10, showcasing the depth of talent in English women’s golf.
For the full leaderboard and more details on the St Rule Trophy, check out the official leaderboard.
