The season long battle for the Bridgestone Women’s Order of Merit would come down to the last event of the season with Edmondstown’s Anna Abom snatching the honour following a strong final performance in Ballybunion.
The Edmondstown golfer had been in fine form all year, finishing inside the top ten in eight of her nine ranking appearances, Abom’s victory in the Royal County Down Scratch Cup back in March setting up what would become an incredible 2024 season.
The Irish underage International followed up her opening win with a string of top five performances across April and May including runner-up finishes at the Woodbrook Women’s Scratch Cup, Cork Scratch Cup and a tied third finish at the Ulster Women’s Amateur Stroke Play Championship.
The second half of the season would see that form continue as Abom picked up another 385 points in her next three events, a top 20 finish at the Flogas Irish Women’s Amateur Open Championship providing her with her biggest point haul of the year (165).
Abom would not have it all her own way however as Lahinch’s Aideen Walsh would provide ample opposition throughout the year as both players traded positions at the top of the leaderboard.
Walsh’s hat-trick of scratch cup victories in Lahinch, Carlow and Hermitage Golf Club helping push the question of where the Bridgestone Order of Merit crown would reside all the way to the final event of the year, the Ballybunion Ladies Scratch Cup.
Coming into the closing event in Kerry, Walsh had held a 77-point lead over the Edmondstown golfer meaning nothing less than a fifth-place finish would be enough for Abom to take the crown.
With that being the case Abom produced some fantastic golf in Ballybunion, a second-place finish giving her a final 125 points to take the Bridgestone Order of Merit title by just 48. A massive 1163-point total secured across an impressive 2024 season, securing just over 500 points more than she had done the previous year.
Walsh, who had been in top form all year which included the trio of scratch cups alongside four other top ten finishes would once again take the runner-up spot, this time amassing a huge 1115-point total while recently turned professional Annabel Wilson (Castlerock) finished the season in third place on 883 points.
Both the Women’s and Men’s Bridgestone Order of Merit titles are now decided as Brian Doran secured his win following a fifth-place finish at the season closing North of Ireland Men’s Amateur Open which saw the Millicent golfer claim the crown by 46 points from Castleknock’s Paul Coughlan.
View the final Bridgestone Order of Merit rankings here