Ffion Tynan (Minchinhampton GC)

A starting field of 90 junior girl golfers will tee it up in the inaugural Girls Under 16 Open Championship at Fulford Golf Club on Friday.

The 54-hole stroke play event has been introduced as part of The R&A’s drive to boost the girls’ game in Great Britain and Ireland and beyond, as well as provide a pathway to the elite amateur level for leading young players.

Fulford, hosting an event organised by The R&A for the first time in its history, enjoys a prestigious reputation as a championship venue having staged the first ever Women’s British Open in 1976 as well as European Tour events. It will also host the Girls Under 16 Championship in 2019 and 2020.

With over 120 entries received from right across Europe, a 9.9 handicap limit was required to establish the 90-player starting field.

Duncan Weir, Executive Director – Golf Development at The R&A, said, “We are very much looking forward to staging this new championship which is an exciting development for the women’s game not only in GB&I but throughout Europe.

“Introducing this championship is a key part of The R&A’s ambition to develop the women’s game at the same time as we try to encourage more women and girls to take up golf and pursue careers in the sport.”

The event has attracted an impressive variety of golfing talent and will see established elite amateur players competing with emerging juniors stars – including England’s Rosie Bee Kim, who is the youngest competitor at 10-years-old.

Switzerland’s Elena Moosmann possesses the lowest handicap in the field at +3.5. The 16-year-old, ranked 99th in the World Amateur Golf RankingTM, recently represented the Continent of Europe in the Patsy Hankins Trophy in Doha, Qatar.

2017 Great Britain and Ireland Junior Vagliano trio Carys Worby, Ffion Tynan (pictured) and Caitlan Whitehead will also compete for the title at Fulford.

Welsh player Tynan, 15, will be full of confidence following her recent win at the Scottish Girls Open Championship at Monifieth earlier this month.

The winner of the Girls Under 16 Open Championship will receive The Angela Uzielli Trophy.

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Ffion Tynan (Minchinhampton GC)

Welsh golfer Ffion Tynan highlighted her growing potential with victory in the Scottish Girls’ Open Championship at a blustery Monifieth near Dundee.

Tynan, the 15-year-old from Minchinhampton GC, secured both the Under 16 and Under 18 honours at the Angus venue, finishing as the only player under par to claim a two-stroke victory over English duo Rosie Belsham (Whitley Bay), also an Under 16, and Natasha Slater (Ulverston).

Slater looked in control of proceedings in the challenging conditions, but dropped six shots in the last five holes, including a double bogey on the 16^th, to open the door to the chasing pack.

Tynan stepped in with a steady closing 72, helped by a birdie on the 17^th and a confident closing par, for a one-under-par total for her three rounds.
Ffion, who represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Junior Vagliano Trophy match last year, said: “I was really excited going into the last day. I was trying to be really aggressive, get a couple of putts dropping and put pressure on my playing partners being behind.

“I was just hoping to get a top-three finish but I knew I was capable of getting more if I did everything I wanted to do. I kept myself positive, believed in myself and tried to deliver.

“I haven’t won both categories before, but I’ve had a few events where I’ve gone to the wire.”

Despite the weather, Tynan enjoyed the challenge posed on Scotland’s East Coast.

“The weather hasn’t been great this week, but I really enjoyed it,” she said. “It’s a great course, I loved it, even in the wind and cold. There was pressure from the course as well as the players.

“I’ve just got my World Amateur Golf Ranking now and I’m hoping to get my handicap to a plus figure by the end of the year. Now that I know I can win higher categories as well, rather than my own age category, is great for my confidence.”

“It was very tough out there in the wind, it was strong. I had played in Scotland before, various events, and also in England, so I was used to it. I really like links golf, but I had never experienced that kind of wind before so it was probably the toughest I’ve played in.”

In the Scottish Boys event played in Montrose, two Wales internationals had top 10 finishes with Archie Davies of Carlisle finishing tied fourth and James Ashfield of Delamere Forest 10^th.

Wales golf director of performance Gillian O’Leary added, “This was a really good win for Ffion, especially as she has a couple of years left in this age group.

“It shows the winter work has paid off and she is ready to build on the experience of being part of the Junior Vagliano Trophy team last year.”

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