With a name like Charlotte Heath, perhaps the young Englishwoman was always destined to do well at Walton Heath. However, Heath insisted she was pleasantly surprised to win the Smyth Salver, which is awarded to the leading amateur at the AIG Women’s Open for 2023.
Beginning the event, there were 10 amateurs but, thanks to her seven-over-par total of 295, it was good enough to beat Julia Lopez Ramirez of Spain by five strokes.
The 21-year-old is the first English player to win the Smyth Salver since Sophie Lamb in 2017 at Kingsbarns, with Heath following in the footsteps of Rose Zhang, who won it last year. Other previous winners include Michelle Wie West, Anna Nordqvist, Lydia Ko and Georgia Hall.
Following her win, Heath reflected: “There's some incredible names on the Smyth Salver. It is definitely kind of not what I expected at the start of the week, but very happy with it. It's certainly a bonus. I've learned so much from the pros, how they play compared to amateurs.
“I think they play a lot smarter and more sensible. They know when to take risks and when to hold back. Sometimes as an amateur you don't really think about that because if you come fourth or 10th it really doesn't matter that much, whereas if you're playing for money, there's a big difference. I think that's something to definitely follow going forwards."
Heath qualified as the leading British & Irish player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. A Curtis Cup player in 2021 and 2022, she sits inside the WAGR Top 10 and has also performed impressively for Florida State University.
Now she plans to return to America for the new college season, but will have a crack at qualifying school as well. Asked about her immediate plans, Heath replied: “Packing, I guess, going to America so have to sort out my suitcases.”
