England’s Hayley Davis successfully defended her crown at the Abu Dhabi Junior Championship – helped by a stunning course record 64.

Hayley, the English girls’ champion from Ferndown, shot her eight-under par score in the second round, with nine birdies and one bogey.

It put her four shots clear of the pack and the 18-year-old widened the gap in the third and final round, eventually finishing six shots ahead of British champion, Lauren Taylor of Woburn.

However, early in the round Lauren came close to closing the gap. She had a couple of early birdies while Hayley kept finding bunkers on her front nine and, at one stage, the deficit was cut to just one shot.

But the defending champion steadied the ship on the way home and played her way to a comfortable win, with a 54-hole total of five under par. Afterwards Hayley commented on her final round: “I didn’t play great and it was very up and down. I was trying to get a good rhythm and it felt good to come back at one under.”

Hayley, a past winner of the English women’s championship and an England international, is a student at Baylor University, Texas.

The boys’ title was won by Daniel Hendry of Scotland who overcame Jimmy Mullen of Royal North Devon on the fourth play-off hole. The tournament, in association with The Telegraph, is now in its 26th year. Previous winners include Justin Rose and Andrew Coltart.

Girls’ results

Par 216, 3x72

211 Hayley Davis (Ferndown) 74 64 73
217 Lauren Taylor (Woburn) 71 71 75
221 Amy Boulden (Wales) 69 74 78
222 Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough) 77 71 74
223 Samantha Giles (St Mellion) 75 70 78
225 Brogan Townend (Pleasington) 76 73 76
232 Elizabeth Stebbings (Wilpshire) 75 76 81; Rachel Walker (Scotland)76 75 81
249 Lesley Atkins (Scotland) 78 87 84

The Ed., the Golfblogger Network