3rd HACIENDA DEL ALAMO WOMEN'S/GIRLS'

GOLF FESTIVAL, FEBRUARY 13 to 20, 2010

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Emma (13) is first Isle of Man

player ever to enter Festival

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Emma Harris, who will be 14 years old on January 8, is "different" from any other entry we've ever had for the Hacienda del Alamo Winter Festival at the five-star resort in the Murcia province of south-east Spain.

Emma is the first entry from the Isle of Man we've ever had since the Festival teed off in February 2008.

Her mum Caron told me:
"Emma is the current Isle of Man Ladies Golf Champion, a title she has won twice, first when she was 12 years old and the youngest ever winner of the title.

"The Isle of Man has eight 18-hole courses and one nine- hole course, so we are really lucky to have so many on a small island. They are all in beautiful settings with some stunning scenery.

"Castletown is a championship links course. Emma's home club is Peel where she has two of a handicap.
"She is a member of EWGA's Select Squad. She has received training with EWGA for the past three years, for which we are very grateful. Emma is a member of the Lancashire Girls Golf Association, who have some very good players.
"Emma travel's regularly off the Island to take part in events. She has done so since she was eight. Emma's brother George, who has just turned 15, plays off of five and is a member of the Isle of Man's junior squad.
"This year Emma has taken part in many off-island events (both 18 and 36 hole ). Some are:-
Island Games in Aland - joint sixth out of 55 lady competitors after four rounds of stroke-play.
English Girls Championship (three-day event ) - joint fourth.
St Andrews Junior Ladies Open (U23s) - third out of 63 competitiors, played over the Strathtyrum, Eden and Old Course.
Northern Girls U18s Championship (one-day 36-hole event ) - second place scratch score out of 52 competitors.
Faldo Series U16s winner at Notts Golf Club.
Isle of Man Ladies Champion for the second year. This event begins with 36 holes of strokeplay and then continues with match-play, and is played over a week.
"The Isle of Man is very supportive of its sportsmen and women and Emma is a Sports Aid Receipient. This gives her help towards her travel costs. Without this it would be very hard to be able to afford to compete off Island.
"Entering the Hacienda Del Alamo Festival, will be the first Spanish event Emma has played in."
Emma Harris has put her name down for the Murcia Under-16 girls' tournament over 36 holes on the Monday and Tuesday (February 15-16) of the Festival and also the Hacienda del Alamo Under-16 girls' event over 54 holes, again over the Dave Thomas-designed course, from the Thursday to the Saturday (February 18-19-20).

Another 13-year-old to enter the Festival this week is Nicola Callander from Welwyn, Hertfordshire. She plays off 10 at Mill Green Golf Club.

Nicola is going over to Spain earlier than Emma and playing in the curtain-raising pairs event at Hacienda del Alamo on Saturday, February 13. Nicola will partner Ella Ofstedahl in the competition in which girls/women can be partnered by males!

A free practice round is included in the entry fee for the Festival which will have scratch and handicap prizes in all its sections - Under-16 girls, Under-18 girls, ladies, senior ladies (age 50 and over on January 1).

If enough lady professionals told us they would like to play, then we would create separate categories for them in all the Festival events.

Players like English women's champion Charlie Douglass, English girls' champion Holly Clyburn, Hayley Davis and Hannah Turland will be out to impress the GB&I selectors who will be naming the Curtis Cup team of eight near the end of April.

It's also a have-fun week but it is also an ideal place to get your golf game into gear for the 2010 season. The practice facilities at Hacienda del Alamo are five-star with a two-tier driving range - you can play off grass if you wish - a six-hole Academy course, a dedicated bunker practice facility and big practice greens for putting and also chipping.

Entry forms for the 2010 Festival are available by clicking on the appropriate words at the top of the left hand column of the Home Page of this website. If you still have some queries, E-mail them to Colin@scottishgolfview.com

+Glenmuir are supporting the Hacienda del Alamo February Festival for the third year in a row, for which the tournament organisers, director of golf Billy Sim and his right-hand man, Lee Harrington, are very grateful. Nice to have something in common with the European Ryder Cup team!