Olivia Costello will aim to become the first Irish golfer to win both the Flogas Irish Girls’ and Women’s Amateur Open Championships in the same season when the 18-year-old tees up at Newlands Golf Club on Friday.
One of the marquee events on the Irish amateur women’s calendar tees up at the Dublin venue this weekend, with 93 Irish and international competitors taking to the Jeff Howes designed parkland course for 54 holes of stroke play across Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Costello arrives in strong form after claiming the Flogas Irish Girls’ Amateur Open Championship at Corrstown in her final appearance at the event. The victory came as the Roscommon golfer continued her ascent in the amateur game, with her performances during her underage career earning her a place on the Golf Ireland Women’s High-Performance Panel this year.
“It was really nice to get my hands on the title, especially because it was my last year under 18, so it was nice to finish my last year getting the win,” said Costello.
“I had a lesson with my coach, and I spent a couple of hours with him and I brought that into Corrstown. After that lesson, I’ve got a better understanding of my game now and I feel like I’m coming in this week in a good place.”
Costello will begin her championship at 10.20am on Friday when she tees up alongside Ella Forss (Gothenburg Golf Club) and defending champion Louise Landgraf (Kempferhof Golf Club Plobsheim).
“There’s a strong field out here this week. Myself and Louise get on really well. We’ve played with each other the first time at the British Under-16 Girls’ and we get on really well,” said Costello.
“We push each other on as well. I’m looking at myself and I’m able to compare my game to see where Louise is and you see what Louise is doing and she’s playing at the highest standard and being able to see where my game’s at and where it needs to improve.”
Germany’s Charlotte Back won both the Women’s and Girls’ titles in 2021, but there is yet to be an Irish winner of both events in the same year, with Leona Maguire and Olivia Mehaffey the only other Irish players to have won both championships during their amateur careers.
Costello admits the opportunity to become the first Irish player to complete the double in the same season is an exciting prospect.
“Coming to these tournaments, those kinds of thoughts do come into my mind, and being able to win both the same year would be incredible,” said Costello.
“But it’s just trying not to get too far ahead of myself, and I know that my game is in a good place at the moment and if I do the things that I have been working on, that I’ll be there or thereabouts to give myself an opportunity to do it.”
The Flogas Irish Women’s Amateur Open Championship gets underway on Friday morning, with Clodagh Coughlan (Douglas), Emma O’Driscoll (Ballybunion) and Aoife Cannon (Olton Golf Club) leading the field out at 8.41am.
View tee times and live scoring here
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