SHANNON McWILLIAM AND MUM NOW REGRET TURNING DOWN INVITE

RISING ABOYNE STAR SAID "NO" TO DUKE 

OF YORK - BUT SHE COULD HAVE PLAYED 

IN H R H TOURNAMENT AFTER ALL!

Shannon McWilliam: Impressive golfing CV and still only 15 years of age. Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Aboyne's Shannon McWilliam turned down an invitation to play in the Duke of York Young Champions' Tournament, which starts at Royal Aberdeen's Balgownie Links tomorrow.

But that was before she and her Mum realised that this week she could have played golf without missing more classes at Aboyne Academy.

"Too late we discovered that Shannon will be out of school at work experience this week, so she could have missed that to play in the Duke of York's tournament," said Julie McWilliam.

"We made the original decision to turn down the invitation because Shannon has missed a lot of classes playing in midweek golf tournaments, like the girls' home internationals, etc."

This past weekend, 15-year-old Shannon won the Aboyne women's open on the Saturday and the Aberdeenshire girls county championship on the Sunday.
She is the first player to win both the Aberdeenshire women's and girls' county titles in the same year, having won the women's county title in May.
Shannon won the Paul Lawrie Scottish schoolgirls title earlier in the season. Last season she
was Scottish Under-14 girls champion.
There is no Scottish girl in the field of 57 at the Duke of York Young Champions' Tournament for Under-18s. There are three Scottish boys - Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden), the Scottish boys' stroke and match-play champion this year and winner of the British boys' title last year; Calum Fyfe (Cawder) and Murray Naysmith (Marriott Dalmahoy).
Sweden's Oskar Bergqvist, who plays off +4 and succeeded Ferguson as British boys champion this summer, is the favourite but it is such a talented field, just about anyone could win the coveted title after 54 holes.
YOU CAN VIEW THE DUKE OF YORK 
YOUNG CHAMPIONS' TUESDAY TEE
TIMES AT BALGOWNIE BY LOGGING
ON TO www.scottishgolfview.com