Shropshire star Lauren Crump is on the fairway to success

Lauren Crump, aged 15 from Whitchurch, has won two national titles in the space of three weeks.

First, she won the Scottish Under-16 Open Championship at Muckhart Golf Club and now she has won the English Girls Championship at Royal Norwich Golf Club.

Crump – who plays out of Hill Valley – has been born and raised in Whitchurch and comes from a golfing family.

Her father Lyndon has played off scratch in the past, and her mother Catherine has also been a ladies champion at Hill Valley. Her sister Lucy, aged 13, is also a talented golfer who competed at Muckhart.

Winning in Scotland was the first of her two victories. It was her five birdies on the front nine on the second day that powered her into a commanding lead, helping her to finish three-under-par and two-under-par overall.

She fought off a late comeback from Ellie Lichtenhein on the final afternoon of the three-day competition to keep her composure at the very end to secure her title.

Crump – who will represent England alongside fellow Shropshire golf star Isla McDonald-O’Brien in the Home Internationals next week – said: “Winning that competition meant a huge deal to me. To win against a field of such class was incredible.

“I found the course a challenge and I felt I would need to shoot under par to have a chance of winning. I had a moment on the 17th green (on the final round), I had about a 30ft putt for a birdie, and I went straight in the middle. That was the moment I knew I could have a chance of winning.

“It was amazing sharing the course with my sister (Lucy Crump), she’s put so much hard work into the week and for her to make the cut was just such an amazing experience for her.”

And then just weeks later Crump was in the silverware again after winning at Royal Norwich – again pipping Lichtenhein to the main prize. Speaking after her win in Norfolk Crump said: “It’s a massive win, it’s unbelievable really! I’ve only just turned 15, so to win this is just absolutely incredible!

“I holed a lot more putts than I think I’ve ever done before, my putting was just incredible! I just tried to play my steady game, hit greens, two-putt and aim for one or two-under par.”

Crump has only been playing golf for five years as she picked the sport up just before Covid.

She plays off plus three and has played for the England under-16 in Spain in 2024 while also representing Shropshire with her sister.

Her grandfather, Patrick Crump says the whole family deserve the success for the time they commit to it.

“Her parents are there supporting her,” he said. “They stayed over for four days when she played in Scotland and we were all so proud to see her win.

“They have to drive around the country to give her the support she needs.

“She is a good driver, her putting has been the problem, but she went up to Southport to do some work on her putting, and it has now improved vastly. Her dad always used to say you can only putt twice, not three times so that has come on. She is improving all the time, and getting used to different conditions.

“There is not a night or a weekend when she is not playing golf. If it is pouring down with rain or even in the middle of winter, she will find a way to get out and practice.

“I think she is doing very well. Perhaps I am just being biased because I am her grandad.”