Year of success Merits top award

NORTH East pair Charlotte Naughton and John Kennedy have been rewarded for a superb year by landing England Golf Order of Merit awards.

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Both players enjoyed a string of high-profile successes, with Naughton recently elevated to the senior women’s ranks for next year on the back of a world-beating 2025 in the girls’ squad.

Naughton (Longhirst Hall) won both the World Junior Girls Championship in Canada, and was also the first English player to win the German Girls’ Amateur.

She finished runner-up in the R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship, and also at the St Rule Trophy, where she picked up the Lawson Trophy for being the leading under-18 two years in succession.

The trailblazing 17-year-old also enjoyed top-10 finishes at the French U21 International (Esmond Trophy), Scottish Girls’ Open, and Spanish International Ladies.

On the team front, Naughton represented Europe in the 2025 Junior Ryder Cup and helped England win the Girls’ & Boys’ Home Internationals.

She also represented her country at the European Girls’ Team Championship, as well as helping England beat Spain in their biennial international match.