Carnoustie Northern Ladies Committe to organise invitational 54-hole event for Scotland's elite Under18 girls

A view of the green at the short eighth on the Carnoustie championship links. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Scotland's leading girl golf prospects will step into the spotlight at Carnoustie this coming spring when they will feature in a new invitational tournament over three rounds.

Carnoustie Links Management Committee has generously given the courtesy of the Championship, Burnside and Buddon golf courses to the Carnoustie Northern Ladies Committee to hold the inaugural Carnoustie Links Girls' Challenge from Friday to Sunday, March 30 to April 1.

The 54-hole stroke-play tournament - one round over each course - will be run in conjunction with the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association and will have a field of only 12 girls, aged under 18 years. They will be chosen by the SLGA selectors.

Colin Sinclair, head professional at Carnoustie Links, has secured sponsorship for the event from Abacus.

Angus women's county champion several times and now county captain Mary Summers, pictured below, a former Scotland international and British girls championship beaten finalist in 1982 at Edzell when she was Mary Mackie, said:

TEAM-BUILDING EXERCISE
"This competition is being developed to try to give younger girls experience of a 54-hole event, something they don't get at this stage of their careers unless they play in Europe.

"It has also become evident that Scotland's elite girls don't get much chance to get together and get to know each other, other than as adversaries.
"Therefore, our hope is to run this as a team-building exercise. Giving the girls the chance to compete will also give them the chancer to socialise together and we will be arranging a full programe for the weekend, details of which are in the pipeline."

Apart from the sponsorship, the Carnoustie Ladies Northern Committee will be using funds they accumulate each year by running the annual Carnoustie Ladies Northern Open. Next year's competition, over 18 holes, will be held on Saturday, June 9 - slap bang in the middle of the Curtis Cup match at Nairn, but, as Mrs Summers says, there was little they could do about it arranging it for another weekend.

Carnoustie Ladies, founded in August 1873, is the oldest women's golf club in the world.

+The Carnoustie championship links will host the British women's open amateur championship from June 26 to 30 next year (2012).

JUNE 2-3 FOR GIRLS' INTER-DIVISIONAL AT BALLUMBIE

Dates for the Girls' inter-divisional team match-play tournament at Ballumbie Castle golf course, near Dundee, are Saturday-Sunday, June 2-3.