Lauren Walsh admits that her younger self would not have believed that she would be making professional debuts in the AIG Women’s Open and KPMG Women’s Irish Open in successive weeks.
Walsh first attended the Women’s Irish Open as a fan in 2011 where she had a photo taken with Lexi Thompson. But at that stage she did not even play golf. Just over a decade later and she has embarked on a terrific rookie season on the Ladies European Tour including a pro debut at St Andrews last week and a full debut in her home open this week.
Something she could not have envisaged telling her childhood self thirteen years ago.
“I don’t think she would have believed you!” she laughed. “I said all last week that little Lauren would be very proud and very excited that I have got to do all of these really cool things and she would be really excited that we are getting to tee it up on home soil hoping to inspire a lot of other boys and girls coming out this week.
“If a couple of girls pick the game up having watched us that would be great and hopefully that is the case.”
Walsh is one of the beneficiaries of the rebirth of the Women’s Irish Open and she is one of five professionals teeing it up in a thirteen strong Irish contingent.
The Castlewarden woman has been handed a tasty tee time with Solheim Cupper Anne Van Dam and 2022 winner Klara Davidson Spilkova and she will have a huge following in what is a stones throw from her home.
“I know my family will definitely be making some noise! It’s nice to be staying at home and sleeping in my own bed, having some of my mam’s cooking after all the travelling this year.
“I’ll have plenty of friends and family out supporting because it is close to home and extended family too. To know everyone out there is rooting for me is a really big help and definitely worth a shot or two this week.
“Mam, dad, my siblings, my grandparents, cousins, bunch of people from my golf club who have supported me for many many years, I have some old teachers, my neighbours, honestly the whole of Kildare will be out watching.”
Walsh is sitting pretty in 14th on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit after five top-10s including two finishes of 3rd as she looks to add a professional win to her CV. She says winning an Irish Open would be a “dream come true.”
“It would be very special to win in front of home crowds and that’s the ultimate goal this week, it would be very special.
“I set out the start of the year that one of my big goals was to win, obviously I had some successes as an amateur, played well at Wake Forest and in Curtis Cups and that, so I knew turning pro there was a lot of girls out here who I had played in college with or played against them so I knew I would be there or thereabouts and obviously I have had a lot to get used to and adjustments to be made to the travel schedule and all the different countries we get to go to, I knew if I could play within myself I would definitely have some chances.”
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