Michelle Black and Lisa Duffy qualify for final of American Golf Ladies Championship

Michelle Black and Lisa Duffy

Rochdale golfers Michelle Black and Lisa Duffy have qualified for the national final of the American Golf Ladies Championship.

The pair finished second at the qualifying event held at Didsbury Golf Club and now progress to Ryder Cup venue, The Belfry, on 7 and 8 September where they will battle it out for the title of best Ladies Pair in the UK.

Black and Duffy, both members at Rochdale Golf Club, secured second place with a commendable score of 41 points. They trailed behind Debbie Hirons and Collette Cain from High Legh Park Golf Club, who took the regional title with a very impressive 43 points.

Both pairs will now join qualifiers from all over the UK and Ireland in front of Sky Sports’ cameras at the Belfry Grand Final where they will compete across two days to be crowned American Golf Ladies Champions.

This win also puts them in contention for the Tournament of Champions in Mauritius, should they succeed at the iconic Midland venue.

Daniel Gathercole, Director of Marketing and Communication at American Golf, said: “The Ladies Championship is one of our most popular events,.

“The spirit with which the ladies approach both the competition and the fun of the occasion is a fantastic advert for the game of golf.

"We can’t wait to welcome all our qualifiers to the Belfry and if it’s half the final that we had last year viewers on Sky Sports will be in for a real treat.”

Local American Golf Manager Martin Barnes, from the Middleton store, said: “To have won through to the National finals of the American Golf Ladies Championships is a great achievement and I’m delighted that the North West golfing community will be well represented. It will be an incredible experience playing on a Ryder Cup course and I can’t wait to see how our ladies get on.”

Entry to all of the American Golf Championships, including the American Golf Ladies Championship, is  free and is part of the nationwide retailer’s drive to promote the game of golf and get more people out playing golf more often.