Scottish Golf, 20 April 2025
Roisin Scanlon tamed the links at Royal Troon on her rookie appearance to claim a five-shot victory at the 2025 Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open Championship.
The Irish ace posted a final round of 71 (-1) around the revered Old Course at Royal Troon – venue for 10 Open Championships – to finish well clear of the chasing pack led by England’s Jess Hall.
Scanlon carded rounds of 72 and 69 around Royal Troon’s Portland Course before taking her ‘A’ game across the road for the final charge.
Two birdies at the opening two holes calmed the teenager’s nerves and despite Hall remaining on her coat-tails until the 12th hole, Scanlon was able to pull clear with further birdies at 12 and 16.
In claiming the title, Scanlon becomes only the fifth Irish winner in the championship’s 52-year history.
The 17-year-old has now followed a trail blazed by Martina Gillen (2005), Leona Maguire (2008), Danielle McVeigh (2009) and Olivia Mehaffey (2015).
For Scanlon, it’s been a highly rewarding spell on Scottish soil.
Last week she finished runner-up to Germany’s Sophie Renner in the Scottish Girls’ Open at Arbroath Golf Links and rolled on from that to claim the biggest win of her career to date at Troon.
Scanlon also finished third in the Scottish Girls’ Open just a few miles up the coast from Troon at Irivine as a 14-year-old in 2022 and clearly has the creative mind for a links challenge.
Scanlon said:
“I’m really happy that all my work that I’ve put in with my coach at Albany has paid off.
“I was nervous and it was due to the fact that the last round is on a different golf course so although I played well the first two days anything can happen.
“This is my first time playing this event and it’s really special that we’re even allowed out here and we get to play, especially on a Sunday. We’re very privileged.
Through wind, rain and sunshine, Scanlon was supported all the way by mum Taneisha and had dad Anthony on the bag for all three rounds. That act carried extra significance as she explained:
“My parents come to all my tournaments and this week was special because I go to a boarding school and I don’t get to see them most of the year.
“It was nice to have dad on the bag so he can watch me play golf after not having seen me for three months.
“Their support is always appreciated.
“He gets stressed and I get stressed too but it worked out really well this week – we’re good partners.
“I didn’t know my lead until I was coming down 18. I said to dad ‘if I get a par on 18 will I be ok?’ and he said I’d be more than ok!
The championship was a rollercoaster ride from the outset on Friday before Scanlon took charge on the final day
With heavy rain and wind forecast for the afternoon, the morning starters in round one made the best of the weather window to post the lowest scores of the day.
Beaconsfield’s Ella Butteriss led the way with a two-under par round of 70, one-shot clear of another English challenger, Elizabeth Wilson.
South Korea’s Judy Joo – despite being a relative novice at links golf – was one of four players in at level par including Dillon, Scanlon and 2022 champion from North Berwick, Grace Crawford.
Day two was still grey and chilly, but the absence of rain was a relief for the 120 players in the field at Troon’s Portland Course.
Again, the morning starters were quick out the blocks. Hall shot a four-under par round of 68 to climb the leaderboard.
Sweden’s Emma Larsson did even better. A six-under par round of 66 took her 68 places up the leaderboard and close to the top ten.
However, in the afternoon, it was Scanlon who took control of things with a fine round of 69 including four birdies and an eagle. Combined with her opening round of level par, Scanlon was able to take a two-shot lead into the final round.
With the sun shining, Royal Troon’s Old Course looked spectacular and the absence of any wind set up the prospect of a thrilling final day for the 60 golfers who made the 36-hole cut.
Scanlon swept a drive off the first tee to set up an opening birdie.
She stretched her lead to four shots with another slick putt for birdie at the second and while a dropped shot at the fourth was a setback, that was soon recovered with a birdie at the par five, sixth hole.
Scanlon reached the turn in 35 to take a three-shot into the back nine and even a double bogey at the treacherous 11th hole after driving into a bush didn’t derail her efforts.
Hall (pictured above) pushed Scanlon for most of the round and finished second after posting a round of 74 for a +1 total. St Andrews University student Lucy Jamieson took third spot on countback from Wales’ Luca Thompson after finishing on +2.
England took the team award thanks to the performances of Ellie Monk and Wilson (pictured below).
