Savannah De Bock

Still three months short of her 17^thbirthday when she won the European women’s amateur championship on July 23 and with it became exempt for the AIG Women’s Open. Tied for the lead with England’s Charlotte Heath after 54 and 72 holes, both finishing 19 under par, they could not be separated in the three-hole aggregate play-off, but when they went into sudden death De Bock’s par made her the first Belgian winner of the title since Florence Descampe in 1988.

Four years later Descampe was part of Europe’s successful Solheim Cup side and De Bock, who first won an international competition in Miami aged 12 and who entered this year with a handicap of +4.7, was last year part of Europe’s winning Junior Solheim Cup team in Ohio under the captaincy of Annika Sorenstam.