Lara Tennant won The R&A Women’s Senior Amateur for the second time and Bryan Hoops captured the Senior Amateur as the championships concluded at Frilford Heath on Friday.

The two Americans took contrasting routes to victory in Oxfordshire. Tennant recovered from three shots behind with nine holes remaining, while Hoops turned a one-stroke overnight lead into a six-shot win.

Tennant closed with a two-under-par 72 on the Red Course for a two-over total of 296. She finished five shots ahead of England’s Emma Brown, with Kerry Smith another stroke back in third.

On the Blue Course, Hoops fired a six-under 66 to reach 10 under par, 278. England’s John Kemp and Australia’s Richard Heath shared second place on four under.

Tennant Rallies to Win Her Second Title

Tennant and Brown had begun the final round tied at 224, but Brown moved three clear during the opening nine. Tennant moved ahead after the turn as she played the inward half in one-under 36 and Brown came home in 44.

Two recovery shots helped secure Tennant’s victory. The 59-year-old found a fairway bunker from the 15th tee and could not advance her next shot to the green, leaving approximately 100 yards for her third. She saved par by holing a 25-foot putt.

At the 16th, Tennant faced a difficult approach from the rough. Her ball struck the flag and stopped two-and-a-half feet from the hole.

“After I hit it in the bunker I said to myself ‘I’m going to make par’. I had a 25-foot putt but I saw the break, hit a good putt and luckily it went in the hole,” Tennant said in The R&A’s championship report.

“That was definitely a turning point to keep moving forward. So was the 16th because it was a hard shot out of the rough. I knew it was going to be hard to stop the ball, so for it to hit the flag and end up close was a big break.”

Brown dropped seven shots over the last five holes, including double bogeys at the 14th and 16th. Despite the difficult finish, she secured another silver medal in an event where she now has two runner-up finishes and two third places.

“There wasn’t anything I did that was too drastically wrong, but little misses rack up and that’s what happened,” Brown said. “Congratulations to Lara. She played great and fully deserves the trophy.”

Tennant first won the championship at Royal St David’s in 2019. She has also won three consecutive US Women’s Senior Amateur Championships, with those victories coming between 2018 and 2021.

Her record across four appearances in The R&A event now includes two victories and a runner-up finish. Ranked 357th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Tennant credited a shot-by-shot approach for keeping her in contention while Brown led.

“I knew I was behind Emma but not by how much,” Tennant said. “I just stuck to my game plan and tried to do my best on each shot.”

Hoops Pulls Clear With Closing 66

Hoops began the final round one shot ahead of fellow American Mike McCoy, the 2022 champion. Hoops quickly pulled away, producing the second-lowest score of the championship.

The 57-year-old from Tempe, Arizona, followed rounds of 70, 71 and 71 with his closing 66. Only Kemp, who shot 65 in the second round, recorded a lower score during the week.

“This is the best win of my career,” Hoops said. “I’ve won tournaments in the United States and internationally but to win a national championship like this is my best.”

Hoops arrived at Frilford Heath as the highest-ranked senior in the World Amateur Golf Ranking at No. 308. He had finished 11th at Walton Heath on his championship debut in 2025, then won at his second attempt.

Hoops said his only three-putt of the four-day championship came on the 18th hole during Thursday’s third round.

He also adapted to the unfamiliar English course conditions. Before the final round, Hoops described the different surfaces and unpredictable bounces as a test compared with the golf he regularly plays in Arizona.

Full results from both championships are available through The R&A championship hub.