A HOT putter helped Cotswolds professional golfer Charlotte Ellis to a four under par 68 – her best round of the year – in the final round of the Tenerife Open last week.

It took Ellis, from Cockleford and a member at Minchinhampton Golf Club, to a finishing position of 41st on her return to the full Ladies' European Tour.

Ellis earned her best pay cheque of the season so far but it could have been so much better but for a disappointing third round of 78 which left her trailing the leaders.

"I had only 25 putts in the last round in Tenerife and I can't remember the last time I did that," said Charlotte, a proponent of the belly putting style who changed to a more conventional club after borrowing fellow pro Sahra Hassan's Yes putter in a practice session.

My caddie Neil and I had a heart to heart at the Helsingborg Open and agreed that I was not making enough mid-range putts," said Charlotte.

"I borrowed Sahra's putter on the practice green there and immediately started to roll the putts better."

Charlotte has used one of the soon-to-be-outlawed belly-style putters for nine years but after Tenerife there appears to be no going back.

"When I got home I went to Nick Riley at the Henbury Golf Club near Bristol and he found me a replica of Sahra's putter which he then tailored to suit me.

"I had only practised with it for two or three days before Tenerife."

Charlotte returns to the LET Access (second tier) tour this week at the Strasbourg Open in France when she expects to be challenging at the top of the leaderboard.

She said: "I am putting with new confidence and I just need all the elements of my game to come together at the same time to really challenge."