Hannah Barwood is England’s top girl golfer

English champion Hannah Barwood has sealed a superb season by becoming the country’s top girl golfer.

The 18-year-old from Knowle in Gloucestershire has won the English Women’s Golf Association girls’ order of merit for 2008. Altogether 175 girls figured in this year’s table, up from 146 in 2007.

Hannah commented: “Winning this order of merit was a real target for me, it shows your consistency and it’s a nice way to finish girls’ golf,” she said.

During 2008 Hannah has enjoyed both individual and team successes. She won the English championship and the U21 title at the Welsh strokeplay, then helped England’s girls take the silver medal at the European championships and to win their Home Internationals. Most recently she became the Faldo Series girls’ champion at the grand final in Brazil.   

“The whole year has been great with all the different experiences. It started with some big individual wins for me and then we did really well as a team, which was nice. Winning in Brazil – doing it in another country – was also big for me.”

Hannah also passed two A levels during 2008 and has now left school to concentrate on her golf.

Thanks to her win in Brazil she will head to Mission Hills in China early in 2009 to compete in the Asia grand final of the Faldo Series and she has also booked herself a start in a Ladies European Tour event.   Girls’ order of merit top ten: 1 Hannah Barwood (Knowle) 2 Rachel Connor (Manchester) 3 Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) 4 Charlotte Wild (Mere) 5 Alex Peters (Notts Ladies) 6 Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) 7 Ellis Keenan (Sunningdale) 8 Rachael Goodall (Heswall) 9 Heidi Baek (Felixstowe Ferry) 10 Ellie Robinson (Middlesborough)

Full details: englishwomensgolf.org