Spain
Sarah Skovgaard Bils (DEN) has won the Spanish International Ladies’ Amateur Championship (Copa S.M. La Reina) at La Reserva de Sotogrande.
One of the most prestigious championships in European women’s amateur golf, the event began with 36 holes of stroke play qualifying before the leading players advanced to the match play stages. Adverse weather during the qualifying rounds meant fewer players progressed to the knockout phase than originally planned, placing even greater importance on every stroke in the opening stage.
Austria’s Johanna Janisch finished as the leading qualifier at three-under-par after rounds of 70 and 71. She ended one shot ahead of Giselle Zhao (FRA), while Spain’s Natalia Aparicio secured third place at one-under-par. Sarah Skovgaard Bils, meanwhile, progressed to the match play stage right on the cut line after finishing the stroke play qualifying at seven-over-par.
From there, the Dane produced an outstanding run through the knockout stages. Bils won her opening match against Natalia Aparicio before defeating Katrina Bulkovska on the 21st hole. She then overcame Carlota López Minguela 7&6 in the quarter-finals and continued her momentum with a convincing 5&4 victory over Italy’s Guia Vittoria Acutis in the semi-finals.
The final proved to be a tight encounter which went the full distance. Sarah Skovgaard Bils opened a healthy advantage over England’s Elizabeth Wilson by the turn, but the momentum swung the other way on the back-nine. Bils would ultimately claim a 1up win, and the biggest title of her amateur career.
The championship also marked the second counting event of the new European Amateur Order of Merit (EAOM) for women, adding further significance to the week as players continue to accumulate points in the season-long ranking.
In addition to joining Louise Uma Landgrad at the top of the EAOM Rankings, Skovgaard Bils’ victory earns her an exemption into the European Ladies’ Amateur Championship in July, as well as an invite on the Ladies’ European Tour Access Series.
The full results from the Spanish International Ladies’ Amateur Championship can be found here:
The full EAOM rankings can be found here:
