British women's open amateur champion at 16, Lauren Taylor is gaining experience right, left and centre

FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR ACCESS SERIES WEBSITE 
Talented 16-year-old Lauren Taylor became the youngest ever winner of the Ladies' British Open Amateur championship at Royal Portrush links in Northern Ireland last month
En route to her historic victory, the Woburn GC junior member beat GB&I player Danielle McVeigh, experienced German international, Thea Hoffmeister, the 2009 champion Perrine Delacour and the defending champion Kelly Tidy as well as the World No 2 Cecilia Cho from New Zealand. Her final ‘victim’ was 17-year-old Alexandra Bonetti from France, who she defeated by 6 and 5.
Now Rugby-based Lauren, an England girl international, is gearing up to play at the Dinard Ladies Open in France, which takes place at Dinard Golf, Saint Briac sur Mer, from September 21-23.
“I’m looking forward to the experience of playing with the top pros and amateurs. I’ll see what happens; not thinking too much and one step at a time,” said Lauren, who plays off a handicap of +3.
“It’s just to get experience really, like I did in Slovakia. I’ll see what it’s like and compare my game to make sure I’m on the right track. I will be able to judge where I am now and where I have to be in the future. I’d like to win it, obviously!”
She believes that her experience of playing in the Allianz Ladies Slovak Open on the Ladies European Tour helped her to win the Ladies' British Open Amateur championship.
She earned a spot in the LET event after driving all the way to Tale golf course for the qualifier, along with her father, Martin.
“I think I gained a lot of experience from playing in the Tour event the week before: I think that helped me quite a lot, to see how relaxed players were at an event. That’s how I played at the British: I was just relaxed. It was completely different to how I played before.
“I was watching them on the range. I went to watch a few players and their attitude: even if they hit a bad shot, they didn’t show that they cared. It was okay, just go and find the ball.
“I did watch how they warmed up and compared to how the amateurs do it. I watched them play. They talk a lot more, they are chatty. The players I played with talk in between shots and they were friendly and laughed a lot. When they got to their shot they were in their zone and serious, so that’s different to the amateur game, where it’s serious and no talk.”
Lauren has a year to complete at Moulton College, and intends to study/play the college golf circuit in America when she is old enough, but can’t wait to test her game against the world’s best next month.
Her win at the British Amateur entitled her to full exemption into the 2011 Ricoh Women’s British Open played over the challenging Carnoustie Links, from July 28-31 and she said: “I’m really excited to play. I’ve never played there but my friend gave me a course planner. All my friends are supporting me and want me to do well. My friend said that the Carnoustie Championship Links, from holes 12 to 18, is probably the hardest stretch in golf you’ll play, so I’m looking forward to that!”
Picture of Lauren Taylor is by Cal Carson Golf Agency (c).

KIRKWOODGOLF EDITOR'S NOTE:
+Lauren Taylor's victory at Royal Portrush also gains her exemption from pre-qualifying for next month's United States Women's Amateur Championship so she is going to play in that instead of in the Girls home internationals and the British girls open amateur championship, both events being played at Gullane, near Edinburgh in early August.