A record field looks set to fight it out at the Irish Girls U18 Open Stroke Play Championship taking place at Roganstown Golf and Country Club from tomorrow (Friday) until Sunday the 15th of April. The Championship will be played over 54 holes – 18 holes Friday and Saturday with the top-50 players plus ties progressing to the final 18 holes on Sunday.
An international field of 114 players representing 14 countries will compete for the Championship and with ninety percent of the field 5 handicap or less, the talent on show promises to captivate.
“We’re delighted to see this tournament grow year on year.” Said ILGU Tournament Manager Sandra Barnett. “This is largely down to the resort venue, with the members and staff of Roganstown providing a warm welcome and plentiful assistance with the running of the tournament. The course set up makes it an enjoyable event for all and the fact that it is so close to Dublin Airport ensures accessibility for International players to come and compete.”
In recent years it has been the International contingent who have been successful at the event. Sweden’s Ingrid Lindblad who was victorious in 2017 is now overage and will not be at Roganstown this year to defend her title but a team of no less than 16 Swedes with further players from Denmark and Norway will ensure a strong Scandinavian bid.
The Irish challenge has, however, always been strong in this event since its inception in 2012. Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell) and Olivia Mehaffey (RCDL) claimed the title from 2012 to 2015 inclusive and no doubt the players in the 2018 event would like to follow on from their success.
Current top ranked Irish U18 player Annabel Wilson (Lurgan) is unavailable due to exam commitments this year meaning Lauren Walsh (Castlewarden) will be the top ranked player in the field. Members of the Irish Girls Home Internationals Team Valerie Clancy (Killarney), Sara Byrne (Douglas), Beth Coulter (Kirkistown Castle) and Emma Forbes (Royal Portrush) will also be ones to watch.
Leave a comment