RISING star Rachel Connor beat the Americans in their own backyard when she won the Doherty-Jones Women's Championship at Coral Ridge in Fort Lauderville.

It was the perfect finale to a two-month break in Florida and sets her up for a big push to raise her profile even higher this campaign after finishing second in the England Girls' Order of Merit last season.

The 17-year-old Lancashire player, whose dad Brian is professional at Manchester Golf Club, negotiated four tough rounds at Coral Ridge before eclipsing home-spun Kyle Roig four and three in the final.

Rachel was three-under-par at the time but revealed she owed her success to her coach Roger Dougherty who lives in Florida for half the year.

"I was not playing well early in the tournament qualifying rounds and he made a four-hour car journey to see what the problem was," she said.

"He sorted me out on the practice ground and after that I was ripping the ball."

And Rachel, a scratch player who finished 24th in the Sally Amateur tournament at Daytona last week, also passed on some of the credit to Roger's son Nick, who was taking a break from the European Tour, by staying with his family at their Isleworth home.

"I played a few rounds with him and he taught me a lot of things about my swing and some of the shots he plays on tour which amateurs would not normally attempt. Tiger Woods lives close by but I did not see him!"

Rachel, the youngest winner of the JJB Sport M.E.N. Women's Championship in 2002 when she was 12, may return to Florida later next month if she can find a space in her busy schedule which includes warm-weather coaching in Spain with the England squad.

"I don't mind travelling, anything to get away from this weather," she said.

"I've not completed my diary for the year but I intend playing in as many events as possible," added the former Royton schoolgirl, who won the prestigious Birkdale Scratch last summer.

"Unfortunately, that clashes with something else this year so I'm not sure if I will be able to defend my title." Tweet