Lily Hirst Takes Control in Stroke-Play Qualifying at Women’s Amateur Championship

England’s rising star fires a brilliant 66 at historic Muirfield to lead a stacked international field into match play.

Paju, Korea - England’s Lily Hirst carried the momentum of playing on golf’s biggest stages straight into the historic links of Muirfield, carding a brilliant second-round 66 on Tuesday to claim medalist honors in stroke-play qualifying at the 123rd Women’s Amateur Championship. Fresh off a competitive appearance at the Curtis Cup at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, the Huddersfield native finished the qualifying portion at 6-under-par aggregate of 136, positioning herself perfectly for the high-stakes match-play rounds.

Hirst, riding high on a wave of newfound confidence despite Great Britain and Ireland’s recent team defeat to the United States, navigated a perfect, sun-kissed day in East Lothian with surgical precision, racking up six birdies against a lone bogey. The defining moment of her round came at the par-4 8th hole, where she executed a spectacular bunker shot to three feet to rescue a crucial par and preserve her momentum.

She holds a slim one-stroke lead over a trio of world-class chasers at 5-under 137, including world No. 3 Farah O’Keefe of the United States, Sweden’s Meja Ortengren, and the Philippines’ Rianne Malixi. O’Keefe, who made history by winning all five of her matches at the Curtis Cup, bounced back from late bogeys with a dramatic eagle putt from off the green on the par-5 17th to post a matching 66. Malixi, the US Women’s Amateur champion from two years ago, relied on steady patience to fire a back-nine 32 for her 68, while Ortengren carded a steady 69.

Defending champion Paula Martín Sampedro and opening-round leader Gracie Mayo of Wales sit just two shots off the pace. Sampedro, who defeated O’Keefe in last year’s championship final at Nairn, battled a late-afternoon wind that triggered four bogeys on her back nine to finish with a 1-over 71.

With a star-studded 144-player field featuring five of the world’s top 10 amateur golfers, the cut line fell at 4-over-par, necessitating a playoff to finalize the 64-player match-play bracket. Among those advancing was France’s Louise Depadt, who electrified the gallery by acing the par-3 7th hole with an 8-iron en route to a 4-under 67—marking the third hole-in-one by a French competitor this week following opening-round aces by Vairana Heck and Giselle Zhao. Single-elimination match play begins Wednesday, with the ultimate champion earning coveted exemptions into major stages, including the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, the US Women’s Open, and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.