Aboyne’s Shannon McWilliam suffered play-off heartbreak to exit the Women’s Amateur Championship at the semi-final stage.
McWilliam lost at the 19th hole to Iceland’s Jóhanna Lea Lúðvíksdóttir, who will now take on Scotland’s Louise Duncan (West Kilbride) in Saturday’s final after she edged out compatriot Hannah Darling (Broomieknowe) in a play-off.
In a fiercely competitive match McWilliam was trailing by one after four holes at Kilmarnock (Barassie) but fought back to reach the turn at all square.
The Aboyne golfer then seized control by rattling off three on the trot from the 10th but Lúðvíksdóttir was not to be brushed aside easily and had levelled proceedings by the 17th.
In the battle of the Scots, @louiseeduncan has won on the 19th hole 🏴👏
Louise had 5 birdies in her round and goes into the 36 hole final tomorrow in high spirits 🙌 pic.twitter.com/bDk3FmZlMM
— The R&A (@RandA) June 11, 2021
Lúðvíksdóttir then showed tremendous bottle to take the win with a par at the first extra hole as McWilliam could only make a bogey six.
With her victory, Lúðvíksdóttir wrote her name into the history books as the first Icelandic golfer to make a Women’s Amateur Championship final.
She said: “I am very proud that it is me representing Iceland in the final of the championship.
“I have had a lot of encouragement from my friends and family in Iceland. I feel pretty good.”
‘Nip and tuck all the way’
In the other semi-final, Duncan edged a tense all-Scottish affair against Darling at the 19th hole.
“It was definitely a battle with Hannah,” Duncan said afterwards.
“We were nip and tuck all the way, neither of us were any more than one up. It was a great match and all credit to Hannah, she’s a class player.
‘’I’ll be going at it my hardest (in the final) definitely, you don’t get this in every other competition.
“This is one of the biggest championships I’ve ever played in. I’m delighted and I can’t wait to get going.”
If Duncan can win Saturday’s 36-hole final it would be the first time a Scot has lifted the Pam Barton Memorial Salver since Alison Rose claimed the prize at Cruden Bay in 1997.
The winner also secures exemptions into the Women’s Open at Carnoustie this August and the US Women’s Open, the Evian Championship and Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship.
Earlier in the day, McWilliam defeated Gracie Mayo (Wales) 3 & 2 in the last eight while Darling edged Annabell Fuller (England) by one hole.
Lúðvíksdóttir, meanwhile, saw off Kate Lanigan of Ireland 3 & 1 and Duncan beat Jessica Baker (England) by one hole.