IRELAND has a new golf champion this morning - 52-year-old Valerie Hassett from Ennis.

Hassett defied the odds in heavy rain and a howling gale to win the British Amateur Open Seniors Championship over the Pyle and Kenfig Links in South Wales yesterday.

At the start of the day the odds against her winning would have been just as long as those against Frankie Dettori winning all seven races at Ascot last Saturday: she was eight strokes adrift of defending champion Angela Uzielli, with only one round remaining.

And when that advantage was increased to 10 strokes with only three holes played yesterday, her chances were even more remote. But then came the short fourth, at which Uzielli suffered a series of nightmares.

She lost two balls in ferns and ended up with a catastrophic eight, whereas Hassett, who, apart from being a member of Ennis, is the captain at Lahinch, recorded a par three.

That reduced the deficit to five and from then on one had the feeling that an upset could be on the cards.

With nine holes remaining, Uzielli, bidding for her fifth title in seven years, was four strokes clear, but then slowly but surely the lead evaporated.

Uzielli dropped strokes at the 16th and 17th, whereas Hassett got par fours on both, and they came to the last level.

At the 18th Uzielli was through the green with her second, chipped on and took two putts, whereas Hassett registered a regulation par four to become the British champion.

She paid tribute to Uzielli: "It's been a great honour to play with this tremendous golfer today and what a fine sport she's been in defeat.