Ayrshire County Gin Tasting Night and Musical Talent

Certainly there is some talent in Ayrshire Ladies County Golf Association and its nothing to do with Golf -

Apart from Gin tasting there was also a raffle, and a game of bingo to keep everyone entertained in their social evening while they waited for the star attraction “The Barassie Lassies and The Loudoun Lady” which was a 7 piece ukulele band. 

- Read More on the ALCGA Website 

Renfrewshire Junior coaching at Caldwell Golf Club

RLCGA Junior Coaching at Caldwell GC

Sunday 24th February 2019

Today saw our third organised winter meet up with a lovely dry calm afternoon at Caldwell Golf Club, arranged by Caldwell and RLCGA member Liz Hale, supported by Lynda Bradley [Junior Convenor, Kilmacolm] and led by Club Professional Mark Loftus, grateful thanks to each of them. 

Some of the girls were involved in other sporting activities and some were representing the West of Scotland Girls but we still had 13 enthusiastic young ladies attending.

The session started on the driving range learning the key techniques in shaping the ball and how to influence its flight with discussion around the need for shot making. The girls had a good chance to try this and practice their chipping with some fun targets and hazards. 

We then split into groups and played 7 holes on the shortened course in a Texas scramble format, scoring was very close with the girls enjoying the challenge of the last hole trying to better the score of the previous group. It is lovely to see the girls building friendships session to session.

The next session is planned for Sunday 10th March at Kilmacolm. Looking forward to seeing as many as possible and hopefully some more dry weather, the session will take place outside with a mix of on course and time on the practice facility, remember some warm layers.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS

Thanks go to Clair Barclay (Kilmacolm) for the report and photos

Kylie Henry and Carly Booth finish well down the field in Australia

Marianne Skarpnord ended a six year drought to claim her fourth title on the Ladies European Tour after a closely fought battle for the Pacific Bay Resort Australian Ladies Classic – Bonville. 

Skarpnord fired a final round of 69 to earn a two stroke victory on eight-under-par ahead of Australian Hannah Green and Nuria Iturrios of Spain after four rounds at Bonville Golf Resort.

Read More

Scots Kylie Henry and Carly Booth finished in 68th and 70th position with disappointing 3rd round scores

FINAL SCOREBOARD

Hannah McCook finishes in 3rd place in South Africa

Benoni golfer Leján Lewthwaite stepped up to the Sunshine Ladies Tour winner’s circle at the South African Women’s Masters with a dramatic play-off victory over young GolfRSA amateur Kajal Mistry at San Lameer Country Club today (Saturday 22nd February) -- 

The pair ended three rounds tied on one-under 215, with Lewthwaite closing with a superb five-under 67 after opening efforts of 75 and 73. Randpark’s Mistry, meanwhile, signed for a one-under 71 to go with her earlier rounds of 75 and 69.  -- Read full report 

Hannah McCook finished in 3rd place just 2 shots behind

Scots Scores:
Hannah McCook 217
Gabriell MacDonald 223
Jane Turner 228
Laura Murray 229
Laura Muirhead - Misse Cut
CLICK HERE FOR LEADERBOARD

KYLIE FALLS BACK IN THIRD ROUND IN AUSTRALIA

Kylie Henry

Scottish scores/positions after third round of the LET golf's Pacific Bay Resort Australian Ladies Classic:

+15 Kylie Henry (69th)

+16 Carly Booth (70th) 

Lead is -6, held by Swede Madelene Sagstrom

Click Here for Leaderboard after Round 3

DIGITAL PLATFORM UPDATE

From Scottish Golf

Following our last correspondence with you at the end of January, Scottish Golf is pleased to provide clubs with a further update on the new Venue Management System.

 Recruitment: With over 300 clubs expressing their interest in adopting the new system, Scottish Golf identified that there was a need to recruit two new Project Managers to support with the implementation of the VMS across Scotland.

 Ensuring that clubs receive adequate support is crucial, and in order to make the transition for clubs as smooth as possible, the new post-holders will have a specific focus on supporting clubs interested in adopting the system.

 We are pleased to confirm that recruitment has taken place for these roles, with both successful applicants bringing a wealth of experience to the organisation.

Both post-holders have worked in golf, and more importantly, with golf clubs in Scotland and will be a huge asset to the organisation. Both post-holders are looking forward to working with our clubs and will be in touch with all clubs who have expressed an interest in the digital platform in the next 4-6 weeks.

Testing, testing! 

 Since our last correspondence, we are delighted to inform clubs that the system is now up and running in two test clubs.

 While both clubs share the same goal of delivering golf to its members, the way in which this is achieved differs operationally.
It is this difference that provides us with the perfect opportunity to ensure that the full range of features that the platform has to offer are adequately tested in different environments.

 Like with all new technology, it is essential that we take our time to complete a robust test of the system to iron out any potential issues, ensuring that we listen to clubs and make sure that the new system works effectively for the user.

 This is a hugely exciting step forward and we will continue to provide clubs with an update once testing has been complete.

 To read more and register -- Click Here

HANNAH MCCOOK HAS A GOOD OPENING ROUND IN SOUTH AFRICA

Hannah McCook -- Photo Courtesy of the Sunshine Tour

Rookie pro Hannah McCook opened with level-par 72 to sit one shot off lead in Sunshine Ladies Tour South African Women’s Masters at San Lameer. 

Laura Murray (75), Gabrielle Macdonald (77), Jane Turner (79) and Alison Muirhead (85) also in field

Read More

KYLIE IN 12th POSITION AFTER ROUND 2 IN AUSTRALIA

Scottish scores/positions after 2nd round in LET golf's Pacific Bay Resort Australian Ladies Classic:

+1 Kylie Henry (T12)

+6 Carly Booth (T53)

Missed cut

+8 Michele Thomson

+9 Beth Allen 🇺🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

+10 Gemma Dryburgh, Kelsey Macdonald

Lead is -8, held by Spain's Nuria Iturros

LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 2

SCOTTISH GOLF AGM -- HAVE YOU REGISTERED

Calling all County, Area & Club officials... With the closing date for registration approaching (1st March), we’d like to invite you all to the ScottishGolf AGM.

📅: Sun 3rd March

📍: Stirling Court Hotel

⌚️: 11:00-12:30

 CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

EAST RENFREWSHIRE LADIES OPEN TRI AM

East Renfrewshire GC

East Renfrewshire Ladies Open Day Tri Am is on Thursday June 13th 2019.

CLICK HERE FOR ENTRY FORM

KYLIE HENRY IS LEADING SCOT AFTER ROUND 1 IN AUSTRALIA CLASSIC.

Scottish scores in first round of the LET’s Pacific Bay Resort Australian Ladies Classic:

-1 Kylie Henry (T9)

+2 Michele Thomson (T59)

+5 Gemma Dryburgh (T100)

+6 Kelsey Macdonald (T113)

🇺🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿score:

Par Beth Allen (T24)

Lead is -6, held by Australian amateur Doey Choi

Leaderboard 

New Gleneagles golf ambassador Hannah McCook to help inspire newcomers to golf

From Gleneagles Media

Gleneagles, the world-famous Perthshire  hotel and sporting estate, has today announced Hannah McCook, as a new Golf Ambassador, supporting the iconic Perthshire venue’s plans to inspire more young people, school children and women to take up the game.

Recently turned professional, proud Scot Hannah (25), who was born in Aberdeen and raised in Strathspey, was one of Scotland’s leading amateur players, winning three consecutive Scottish Golf Ladies Order of Merit titles before transitioning to the pro ranks this year.

Hannah joins fellow Scot and 1999 Open Champion, Paul Lawrie, as an ambassador, at a time when the award-winning 850-acre Perthshire estate prepares to celebrate the Centenary of its Top 100-ranked championship courses, The King’s and The Queen’s, designed by James Braid.

Gleneagles will also host the 16^th staging of The Solheim Cup, from September 9-15, the pinnacle of women’s professional golf, on the Jack Nicklaus-designed PGA Centenary Course.

Hannah, who was previously a member at Gleneagles during her Sports Studies degree course at the University of Stirling, said:
“I’m incredibly proud to be representing both Scotland and Gleneagles as a professional golfer. Gleneagles holds a special place in my heart and to now be a golf ambassador for such an iconic Scottish brand is a dream come true.”

Gary Silcock, Director of Golf at Gleneagles, commented: “In a year when Gleneagles welcomes the biggest event in women’s golf to Perthshire, it seems fitting that we announce a new partnership with Hannah, one of Scotland’s female golfing talents of the future.

“Her emotional attachment to Gleneagles means she understands our golf proposition perfectly. We have a strong desire to inspire and encourage more young people, school children and women to take up the game and Hannah’s energy and enthusiasm will help us achieve this.”

2018 marked Hannah’s stand-out season as an amateur, winning both the Welsh Ladies Open Stroke-play and its Irish equivalent just a week later. Hannah was part of the victorious team to represent Scotland at the Ladies Home Internationals in Ireland, and she also represented her country at the World Amateur Team Championships.

Hannah will initially focus her tournament play on the Ladies European Tour Access Series, with the aim of progressing onto the main Ladies European Tour. She also continues to work with the SportScotland Institute of Sport and PGA personal coach, David Torrance.

For further information about Gleneagles, visit: www.gleneagles.com

RANFURLY CASTLE PLAYERS MAKE IT TO THE RLCGA WINTER FOURSOMES FINALS

The Semi Finals of the Renfrewshire County Ladies Winter Foursomes have now been played with the Ranfurly Castle pairing of Anne Judge and Marion Munro winning a close contest against Lynda Bradley and Clair Barclay (Kilmacolm).

In the other Semi Final  Jan Macnab (Ranfurly Castle) and Sheila Shaw (Caldwell) were the victors  against Dorothy Cartlidge and Julie Dickson (Whitecraigs)

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE RESULTS

START SHEET IS AVAILABLE FOR THE POLLOK LADIES OPEN DAY

DRAW FOR POLLOK LADIES TRI AM ON FRIDAY 28TH JUNE -- CLICK HERE

RENFREWSHIRE COUNTY COACHING AY PAISLEY GOLF CLUB

The girls got a blustery but mostly dry day for their coaching at Paisley GC yesterday. 

After warming-up, they initially worked on their long game with Claire-Marie Macaulay giving advice on their swings. 

Some short-game challenges were enjoyed with the goal of finishing the session off indoors if they chipped into the targets! That focused their minds and they finished off in the comfort of the fabulous indoor studio.

It was great to be outside and our thanks go to Claire-Marie for again making the session so enjoyable. Thank you also to President Pearl Orr who popped along to admire the lovely swings and future talent in Renfrewshire."

Photos - Courtesy of Gillian Kyle

Photos - Courtesy of Claire- Marie Macaulay

Report, Photos and video courtesy of RLCGA Junior convenor Gillian Kyle

CARMEN GRIFFITHS AND EVANNA HYNDS ARE WINNERS IN CYPRUS

Evanna Hynds and Carmen Griffiths -- Courtesy of Karyn Dallas

Last day of Nikos Severis Cyprus Junior Open and well done to all the Scottish Girls! 👏👏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿...especially Evanna Hynds  for best Nett score on first day and Carmen Griffiths who was 2nd in overall competition
CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE SCORES

The Long and Short -- Liz Keohone and Evanna Hynds

Thanks go to Karyn Dallas for the photos and update

And her Karyn's final words were (from facebook )--- Been away working in Cyprus this week with Scottish Girls group...to say it has been eventful is an understatement....we have had sickness, lost wedding ring down van air vent so trip to....wait for it, RINGOS GARAGE and they were absolute stars 👌and retrieved it!! 

Then a nasty and unfortunate accident with one of the girls slipping on marble stairs in hotel and badly bruising her elbow, so much she had to withdraw *sitting 2nd at time 🙈 all happening whilst dealing with the worst weather ever but certainly 40 years in Cyprus...😳😭😭...then, last day another of our Scottish girls took unwell on course and had to withdraw....the other 4 managed to complete and Carmen Griffiths took runner up prize in Nikos Severis Junior Open....fabulous result!! Phew....what a week....but wouldn't change it for the world! #lovemyjob! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

NELLY KORDA WINS AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Nelly Korda - Photograph courtesy of Golf Australia

From the APLG Website

The quirky infatuation of the Korda family with Australian Opens has another chapter, thanks to Nelly Korda’s triumphal march around The Grange today in the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open.

The 20-year-old Floridian was a bump in her mother Regina’s belly when her father Petr, a left-hander who won 10 titles, took the tennis Open in 1998, his only Grand Slam victory. She was a teen when her sister Jessica won the golf Open at Royal Melbourne in 2012 and just a year ago, her brother Sebastian won the boys’ title at the tennis Open. “There must be something in the air,” she said.

It is not just a marketing spiel; it means something to the family. Nelly Korda said at the start of this week she felt “so left out” when her family talked about their Australian Open wins. Now, she can join in the conversation and on Sunday night, she even mimicked her father’s famous scissor-kick celebration. “That felt really good,” she said. 

READ FULL STORY

LEADERBOARD

1st: -17 Nelly  Korda  271

2nd: -15 Jin Young Ko 273

T44: Even Catriona Matthew 288

MISSED CUT

Kylie Henry 

Michele Thomson 

CLICK HERE FOR ALL SCORES

RAIN IN CYPRUS PUTS A DAMPNER ON SCOTTISH GIRLS

Nicos Severis Cyprus Junior Open 2019 Announcement:

 Play for Day 2 of the event cancelled due to weather conditions.

 The Championship (Boys and Girls) will recommence tomorrow, Sunday, 17 February, with a 2-tee start at 07:45.
The draw for the final day will be available from the event's webpage after 11:00 today. CGF greatly regrets to announce that, due to organizational constraints, today's Severis Cup (18-holes) and the 9-Hole competitions cannot be rescheduled and are therefore cancelled.

CLICK HERE FOR FINAL DAY DRAW

 Well another lost day in Cyprus , rain rain rain, poor girls all this way for golf and nothing course closed again hopefully they will get to play tomorrow 😔 and yes I know it’s nice back home  😓

Thanks go to Liz Keohone for the update. 

INDIVIDUAL R&A AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRIES ARE NOW LIVE

 

 Entries for all individual R&A amateur championships are now LIVE 

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE R&A WEBSITE

CALDWELL GOLF CLUB OPEN DAYS.

Sunday 2nd  June 2019. Caldwell  Mixed Open Greensomes — CLICK HERE FOR ENTRY FORM

Monday 10th June. 2019. Caldwell Ladies Open Waltz Triam — CLICK HERE FOR ENTRY FORM

Dalmahoy signs leading golf ambassador - Jane Turner

Jane Turner

Jane Turner has been handed a boost for her 2019 Ladies European Tour campaign after the Midlothian pro secured a new base at Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club, on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

Dalmahoy has chosen the Ladies European Tour pro golfer as its ambassador, in a year when the women’s golf tournament – The Solheim Cup – returns to Scotland.  As one of Scotland’s leading golf resorts, Dalmahoy was host to Scotland’s first ever Solheim Cup in 1992.

Turner, who has a shot at the Ladies European Tour this year, said of the partnership: “I’m proud to say that I am now representing Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club and will act as an ambassador whilst at home and on tour. Dalmahoy has given me the perfect base for all of my practice with two great golf courses and quality practice facilities available for my short game.” 

Sam Oliver, director of golf and leisure at Dalmahoy continued: “With two 18-hole golf courses, designed to contrast and complement each other, a driving range and pitch and putt, we are proud to offer some of the best golfing facilities in the country. 

“But most importantly, Dalmahoy prides itself on being a welcoming and inclusive golf club – we’re privileged to attract golfers of all levels and abilities, from young children and beginners, through to seasoned pros.  In a year when The Solheim Cup returns to Scotland, there is rightly ever more a spotlight on ladies golf, and we’re delighted to be supporting a Scottish leading light in the women’s game.”

Oliver continued: “We hope that by working with Jane we can encourage more golfers, and particularly women golfers, to our country’s great game.”

Dalmahoy’s golfing pedigree has attracted famous names such as Seve Ballesteros, Sam Torrance and Nick Faldo who have competed in various high profile professional events over the years including the Scottish Senior Open and the UK’s first ever Solheim Cup in 1992.  

Turner continued: “Dalmahoy also has an indoor studio, which has allowed me to keep practising even on the harshest of winter days.”

“Dalmahoy also have a state-of-the art Leisure Club that I can use and now that my gym and golf facilities are in one place it means I can be even more productive with my time.”

For more information about golfing at Dalmahoy, please contact T: 0131 333 1845

or visit www.dalmahoyhotelandcountryclub.co.uk/golf

KILMACOLM OPEN DAY - GREENSOMES STABLEFORD

CLICK TO ENLARGE

The Kilmacolm Greensomes Stableford Open Day is on Thursday 22nd August 2019 
CLICK HERE to print out the entry form

SCOTLAND GIRLS GO TO THE CYPRUS FOR THE JUNIOR OPEN AND WARM WEATHER TRAINING

Evanna Hynd, Porscha Wilson, Grace Crawford, Rachel Foster, Carmen Griffiths,
Cameron Neilson, Liz Keohone, Karyn Dallas - photo courtesy of Karyn Dallas

A strong Scottish Girls team left today to fly out to Cyprus to join a strong international field in this year’s Nicos Severis Cyprus Junior Open which is being held from Friday 15th to Sunday 17th February at Minthis Golf Club near Paphos. 

Some 54 boys and 26 girls up to 18 years old from 14 countries will compete over three rounds of 18 holes. A strong team of nine local youngsters selected from the Cyprus Golf Federation’s (CGF) Junior Order of Merit system will be flying the flag for Cyprus. 

Since its inception seven years ago, the Severis Cyprus Junior Open has gone from strength to strength. It is now a World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) event for both boys and girls attracting ever stronger fields and producing golf of the highest quality. 

Coach Karyn Dallas said "This is a warm weather training to wrap up winter work in prep for playing season starting April....see what they have taken on board and what we still need to work on....having a competition (WAGR points!!) is an added bonus"

Karyn is being assisted by Past Ayrshire Captain Liz Keohone (Loudoun Gowf)

SCOTTISH GOLF AND THE PGA REGIONAL JUNIOR FORUMS

By Scottish Golf

Scottish Golf and The PGA  join forces to host new Regional Junior Forums across the country.

As part of Scottish Golf’s plans to develop a new National Junior Framework, the national governing body is delighted to announce that it will be staging a series of regional forums across the country in partnership with the PGA. These events will not only allow Scottish Golf to gather valuable insights from those currently involved on the front line in junior golf, but will also provide PGA professionals, junior convenors and other volunteers engaged in junior golf activity to work collaboratively with Scottish Golf’s Development Team on the new framework.

Led by Scottish Golf’s Junior Development Manager, Gavin Forrester and Allan Martin, Coach Education Manager for the PGA in Scotland, the forums will provide attendees an opportunity to provide feedback on a range of key topics, including coaching, competitions, club support and schools delivery, through interactive workshops and discussion. The forums will give also delegates the opportunity to share best practice and input into some new concepts, helping to ensure that the framework works for everyone involved.

Ross Duncan, Development Director at Scottish Golf, is looking forward to the upcoming forums and said: “We are delighted to be joining forces with the PGA to stage these forums across the country and it is vitally important that we get the views and insights of PGA professionals, junior convenors and others involved in running junior golf activity. By working with these key stakeholders, it will help shape our future framework. We hope the forums will attract good numbers, inspire good debate and encourage the sharing of good practice from some of the fantastic work being done by many different parties.”

Interested in attending one of our 17 Regional Forums? A full list of dates, venues and how to sign up can be found on the Scottish Golf Website

2019 GIRLS' AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP SWITCHED FROM MONTROSE TO PANMURE

The R and A will stage the 2019 British Girls Amateur Championship at Panmure from Tuesday to Saturday, August 13 to 17 following an agreement reached with Montrose Links to move the event to an alternative venue. 

 This change of venue has been made due to a recent announcement confirming that a series of music concerts are to be set up and staged on a site immediately adjacent to Montrose Links during the month of August. 

Duncan Weir, Executive Director – Golf Development and Amateur Events at The R and A, said, “We have a responsibility to all competitors to provide a world class experience in which they can perform to their full potential and this includes minimising any adverse impacts on the staging of the championship. “There is a risk that the concerts and their setting up would have caused disruption to the players so we have come to a mutual agreement with Montrose Links that the championship will now be played at an alternative venue. 

“Montrose Links remains on our potential list of venues and we very much hope that the opportunity to stage another event there will present itself in the near future. We would like to thank Panmure for moving quickly to step in at such short notice to host this championship, which is again expected to attract a world class field.” 

 The British Girls Amateur Championship will celebrate its centenary year in 2019.

KYLIE HENRY FINISHES TIED 36TH IN ISPS HANDA VIC OPEN

Kylie Henry

Celine Boutier was the No.1 amateur in the world whose denouement was waiting to unfold. At 13th Beach, the Frenchwoman finally delivered on promise with the first LPGA Tour win of her career.

Kylie Henry finished with a 6 over par 78 to finish in 3 over and tied in 35th palace in the ISPS Handa Vic Open in Australia today.
Catriona Matthew finished tied 40th in 4 over par.

Scot David Law stood on the 18th fairway at 13th Beach today with a 195-metre shot over the swampy wasteland to negotiate, had an eagle to beat Australia's Wade Ormsby for his first European win.

CLICK HERE FOR ALL SCORES

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Hannah scores first outright win as a professional at Fortrose and Rosemarkie

 

by Colin Farquharson

Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey), pictured, scored her first outright win as a professional when she headed the field by two strokes with a three-over 73 in testing conditions at Saturday's North Scottish Golfers' Alliance fixture at Fortrose and Rosemarkie.

High winds and heavy showers pushed up the scores

With one hole left to play, McCook and Kyle Godsman (Moray) were level in the lead but there was a two-stroke swing McCook's favour when she finished with a birdie while Godsman missed the green and bogeyed the hole.

 

LEADING SCORES

Par 70

73 Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey) 

75 K Godsman (Moray), J Shaw (Boat of Garten)

77 J S D Campbell (Grantown on Spey), A Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie)

78 B Rennie (Inverness)

79 J R Ingram (Boat of Garten)

STIRLING GOLF CLUB OPEN DAY TRI AM

CLICK HERE TO BOOK 

Scotland's Most Improved Female Golfer in 2018 is Lucy Fraser

As part of #HandicapWeek, Scottish Golf visited Lucy Fraser at her home club of Murrayfield Golf Club to get her thoughts on becoming the 2018 Most Improved Female Golfer in Scotland.

Qualification fund benefits young Scots golfers

From the Scottish Golf Website

Young female golfers in Scotland with aspirations of playing in the PING Junior Solheim Cup at Gleneagles in September can now benefit from a new joint fund established by The 2019 Solheim Cup Golf Development Programme and Scottish Golf.

With The Solheim Cup set to return to Scotland from 9-15 September, qualifying for the 2019 PING Junior Solheim Cup at Gleneagles is now underway, as last weekend’s Portuguese International Ladies’ Amateur Championship marked the first in a series of qualifying events for the biennial match.

The £9,000 pot has been established to provide financial assistance to those eligible to compete at various qualifying tournaments in the run up to this year’s event which will act as a curtain-raiser to The 2019 Solheim Cup as Catriona Matthew’s European team bid to regain the Cup from the USA.

Scotland’s Hannah Darling became the first beneficiary of the fund by competing in Portugal and impressed with a top-20 finish to start her bid to compete as part of Team Europe at Gleneagles.

A member at Broomieknowe Golf Club in Midlothian,.

15-year-old Darling is one of the nation’s rising stars, having climbed the amateur ranks in recent years. She enjoyed an excellent season in 2018, winning the inaugural R&A Girls’ U16 Open Championship and successfully defending her Scottish Girls’ Amateur Championship title she won as a 14-year old in 2017. Now in the year of The Solheim Cup, Darling has her eyes firmly set on making the European Team for this year’s PING Junior Solheim Cup, saying: “I was fortunate enough to be part of the Project19 group who got to experience The 2017 Solheim Cup from inside the ropes and this opportunity confirmed my ambition of one day competing in the event myself. It has been an exciting couple of years since then and I am hugely grateful to Scottish Golf for their continued support. This new fund will help me compete across Europe as I look to qualify for Team Europe at the PING Junior Solheim Cup. To be part of such a big event on home soil would be an incredible experience and I am working hard to ensure that I can achieve this goal.”

Darling was one of six young female golfers to have self-started their own #Project19 initiative when they first learned of Scotland’s bid to host The 2019 Solheim Cup and PING Junior Solheim Cup. Comprising a WhatsApp group, the girl’s ambition was to motivate each other to qualify to represent Team Europe at the event in their home country.

The group included Rachel Foster (Prestwick St Nicholas), Eilidh Henderson (Kirkcaldy), Evanna Hynd (Balbirnie Park), Carmen Griffiths (Aboyne) and Anna McKay (Crail Golfing Society) who alongside Darling were supported to attend The 2017 Solheim Cup in Des Moines, Iowa where they mingled with both US and European teams and even participated in the official handover ceremony to Scotland following close of play.

Andrew McKinlay, CEO at Scottish Golf welcomed today’s announcement and said: “With Gleneagles hosting the PING Junior Solheim Cup in 2019, we are keen to ensure that we have Scottish representation in the European team and today’s announcement marks our commitment to supporting the next cohort of female golfers that would benefit massively from an opportunity like this.”

We are delighted to be working closely with our partners at The 2019 Solheim Cup Golf Development Group ahead of this year’s event and thank them for their support with our fund aimed at supporting the country’s top female junior golfers in qualifying for the PING Junior Solheim Cup.”

Joe FitzPatrick, Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing, said: “This collaboration between the Solheim Cup Golf Development Group and Scottish Golf is a wonderful demonstration of the opportunity the Solheim Cup is giving us to support Scottish junior players and create a lasting legacy from the event. I wish Hannah and all our juniors vying for a qualifying position, the very best of luck in the coming months.”

The European team in the PING Junior Solheim Cup is captained by former Solheim Cup captain Mickey Walker and will see 12 of the best young female players in Europe take on their American counterparts. To be eligible, players must be aged 12-18 years old, having reached their 18^thbirthday as of January 1^st, 2019. The team will be comprised of six qualifiers from the PING Junior Solheim Cup rankings as well as a further six captain’s picks.

The qualification journey will take place across 10 events in six more countries across Europe, before culminating at the Girls’ British Open Championship at Montrose Links, Scotland, from 13^th-17^thAugust.

For more information visit www.solheimcup2019.com