Wherever Anna Foster goes there’s a strong chance that someone from the Elm Park Elite will be there, cheering her on from outside the ropes on the Ladies European Tour.
Foster has her bags packed and ready to head to Morocco for the first start of her rookie campaign on the LET after earning full status at Q-School last December and she is certainly not taking this opportunity for granted.
“Excited to get going. Just scope it all out, excited, I will be nervous but I want to enjoy it as much as I can and have as much fun,” says the Elm Park star. I’m going to see all these amazing new places and so many new countries which not everybody will get to do so just reminding myself of that as well.
“The hard work is done now, so it’s a big relief to get the full card from Q-School and not have to be worrying about different events for the year I can enjoy myself as much as I can this year knowing that I have my card. I’m not setting too many goals or expectations I just want to go out and get comfortable on tour and I know that it will be slightly different from the way amateur events work. It’s still golf and I need to remind myself of that.
“Definitely looking forward to the whole experience on and off the course.”
Whether she was in Woodbrook, Portmarnock or Carton House, Foster was like the pied piper at times leading a swarm of Elm Park supporters along the fairways last year.
The Dublin based club held a homecoming party for the 23-year-old after she came through Q-School in flying colours and she is determined to give them plenty to cheer about this season.
“They have been so amazing with the support they have shown me, it’s so lovely to see,” she reflects. “We had an evening after Q-School and the amount of people who showed up to support I couldn’t believe it I felt like a celebrity trying to get through the bar! Just stuff like that I know not every club does that so just to have that support and community in Elm Park I am so grateful.”
Foster enjoyed a fabulous summer, winning the Flogas Irish Women’s Amateur Open Championship in Woodbrook and it steamrolled her to the quarter-final of the Women’s Amateur Championship in Portmarnock. She turned professional shortly afterwards and made her pro debut on home soil at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open in Carton House.
“It felt like the right time to do it. I got into the Irish Open and it felt nice to have my first pro event there and having that home support. In that timeframe it felt like that was perfect timing and I was finished college too,” Foster explains.
Winning by four shots in wire to wire fashion in Woodbrook proved to be the cherry on top of the cake for Foster who also won the Irish Women’s Close and represented Ireland all through the levels during a decorated amateur career.
“There’s been so many different things that stood out. Winning the Irish Am last year was lovely. I think the way it was done, winning by however many shots was really nice. It was close to home as well. That was one of the big highlights.
“There are so many little moments like matchplay scenarios where you beat England maybe but I would say individually the Irish Amateur was the one.
“It felt like the ball got rolling in Woodbrook and it kept rolling through the whole summer. It gave me a load of confidence going through all the events. The people in Portmarnock were so amazing and I really enjoyed having the crowds there. It’s plays nice to have crowds watching but when you know they are all supporting you it’s really special.”
After performing so well at the Women’s Amateur in Portmarnock, Foster would relish a full circle moment at the AIG Women’s Open if the major championship arrives in 2028.
“That would be a full circle moment. Hopefully in the next few years it will happen, it will be a really special place to do it, the amount of people who went to Carton House for the Irish Open you can only imagine the amount of people in Portmarnock for the Open.”
Foster graduated from Auburn University in the summer and tried her hand at the LPGA Q-Series but was unsuccessful. Still, buoyed by her experience and having had a taste of the pressure cooker that is qualifying school she felt primed for the task at LET Q-School and she cruised her way into the top-20 to gain full status for this campaign.
“Looking back I was cool calm and collected,” says Foster who already has a professional win under her belt at the 25th Maryland Women’s Open in October.
“It’s obviously an extremely stressful week for the majority of people there but after the LPGA I knew how difficult the LET would be. I knew everyone was going to be stressed so I just wanted to go out and enjoy the golf. I set goals to try and get to double digits under par and keep things within myself. It can be hard to see girls around you having meltdowns on the course and stay within yourself and stay patient.
“There’s eight rounds you are going to hit bad shots. I told myself you will hit bad shots, everyone will hit bad shots and don’t worry. Damage control was a big thing, keep the bad holes to a bogey. I knew my good golf was going to be good enough, little reminders like that definitely helped.
“I was never in danger at Q-School I guess but you know you are only one bad shot away from being outside the cut so I tried to keep it to fairways and greens, if I make a birdie great, I counted down the holes the last couple of rounds.
“It was nice, it wasn’t a huge event but it was nice to get some competitive golf in. I ended up winning at the last minute. It was lovely to get it done so early.”
Foster will join fellow rookies Sara Byrne and Annabel Wilson in Morocco next week while Lauren Walsh will also embark on her second season on the LET.
Along with Canice Screene this brings the number of Irish touring professionals to eight. But what is interesting is that a crop of young talent in their 20s is starting to blossom and Foster is looking forward to seeing some familiar faces week in week out.
“Having a few of the girls that have already been on tour I’ve been able to ask them questions about the smallest things it’s been so helpful because I know a lot of people don’t have that and to be able to have them there throughout the year will be lovely and make the whole experience less intimidating.
“It’s going to be lovely to have people that you know and aren’t out to get you sort of thing on tour. Myself and a few of the girls went to Spain for some warm weather training and that was nice so you are not completely on your own doing things it makes a huge difference.”
Behind Foster and co will surely come Beth Coulter and Aine Donegan amongst others. While there is a dearth of talent coming through in Europe from the Irish men’s professional game, the women’s game is experience a boom which has never been seen before.
“We honestly just have a really good group of girls that were really dedicated from a young age and we constantly had each other to push each other and it was a great competitive environment from when we were 13 or 14. I remember going on the same trips with the same girls and nobody really dropped out, we all stayed in it and kept getting better and better.
“I honestly think that the solid group of us that we have, we continued to progress in the US as well and it was just a good group of girls who kept wanting to get better, that’s the main thing and we pushed each other on leaps and bounds.”
Foster who began playing golf at a young age alongside her twin brother and also had a knack for tennis, camogie and swimming, has already experienced the bright lights of a major championship having Monday qualified for the AIG Women’s Open in 2023.
It proved a humbling experience for her as she finished joint last in the field and missed the cut. Looking back she can find no negatives from that week and knows she is good enough to reach that level again.
“It was definitely a learning experience. It was amazing to say that I qualified for a major on a Monday then all of a sudden you are launched into it. I had no idea what to expect, it was very overwhelming. I then realised I can definitely compete at this level.
“In the locker room Nelly Korda walks past you and it’s like ‘oh my god what is happening.’ Looking back now after that week it was pure chaos for me that week but I knew I was very close to that level and it definitely helped me to continue and progress.
“I’ve already played a major and that will help me going forward. I got to meet some amazing people, bad golf just happens sometimes, it’s not the main thing at the end of the day.”
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