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Feature
Grifſ ths Inspired at Fulford by
McWilliam’s Curtis Cup selection
Players from 11 different countries
tee up for inaugural Under-16 event
History made as 90 girls compete in
new event on domestic calendar
Aboyne’s Carmen Grif¿ ths is drawing
inspiration from her fellow club member
Shannon McWilliam as she lines up
in the inaugural Girls Under 16 Open
Championship.
On the eve of the new event at Fulford
Golf Club in York, McWilliam ful¿ lled
a dream by being named in the Great
Britain and Ireland side for June’s Curtis
Cup match.
That is especially true for Grif¿ ths, who
believes McWilliam’s selection has given
Aboyne and her own game a real boost.
Thrill for Aboyne GC
The 14-year-old said: “I went to school
with Shannon and it’s great for the entire
club to see someone like her going to the
Curtis Cup. I feel like I’m at the same
level as when she was 14 so I’m hoping
to follow along her lines.”
“I’m really excited for this event,” added
The R&A is continuing its commitment
to increase participation in golf among
women and girls by providing funding
to support the appointment of new
development managers in Australia,
England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Working with its af¿ liates around the
world to enhance golf’s appeal, the
investment forms part of the governing
body’s drive to encourage more women,
girls and families to play golf more
regularly across the globe and to go on to
become members of golf clubs.
An initial three-year funding package
of £75,000 per nation has been agreed
between The R&A, Golf Australia,
England Golf, the Gol¿ ng Union of
Ireland / the Irish Ladies’ Golf Union,
Scottish Golf and Wales Golf for
the recruitment and appointment of
Carmen Griffiths from Aboyne during her practice round at Fulford Golf Club
the three-handicapper, the reigning ladies
and girls’ champion at Aboyne. “This is
my ¿ rst British event so hopefully I can
play well.”
The new 54-hole stroke play tournament
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.
happy when a friend of my dad said there
was this new Under 16 event, so my dad
was then keen for me to play in it,” said
Melgrati. It’s a new opportunity for my
age group. This is my ¿ rst time playing
in England. The wind is really strong and
the weather is different to Italy, but it will
be a good challenge.”
‘New opportunity for our age group’
Players from 11 different countries
are represented, including 54 from the
host nation. The Under-16 Italian Girls’
champion, Carolina Melgrati, also
competes.
Hailing from Monza near Milan, the
15-year-old admits the new event
encouraged Italy to send three players
to England’s north-east. “I was really Prestigious venue
Fulford, hosting an event organised by
The R&A for the ¿ rst time in its history,
enjoys a prestigious reputation as a
championship venue, having staged the
¿ rst ever Women’s British Open in 1976
as well as European Tour events.
Tony Jacklin, Lee Trevino, Greg Norman,
Sam Torrance and Sandy Lyle are all
past winners over the parkland test.
Fulford will also host the Girls Under 16
Championship in 2019 and 2020.
experienced sports development staff.
In Scotland, the funding is being
matched by the Scottish Government
and VisitScotland as part of The 2019
Solheim Cup project, creating a Women
and Young People Development Manager
post within Scottish Golf to drive forward
and promote opportunities to increase
female and junior participation in golf
in Scotland ahead of and beyond The
Solheim Cup and PING Junior Solheim
Cup being staged at Gleneagles in 2019.
Great Britain and Ireland international
Maria Dunne has taken up the post in
Ireland, with England Golf appointing
Lucy Blakey, a former Project Of¿ cer
with Lincolnshire County Sports
Partnership.
Wales Golf has appointed Simon Lu who
joins from Race Equality First, while Scottish Golf has employed Carol Harvey,
previously a Regional Development
Of¿ cer with Netball Scotland.
Duncan Weir, Executive Director –
Golf Development at The R&A, said,
“Women and girls continue to be an
under-represented group throughout golf
across the world and more work needs
to be done to attract more of them into
the sport at a time when we need to boost
participation levels.
“We believe that there is a real
opportunity, working with our af¿ liates,
to develop inclusive and inspiring
participation initiatives which show that
golf is a fun and enjoyable leisure activity
that can provide many social and health
bene¿ ts for women and families.”
A recent research report commissioned by
The R&A demonstrates that a signi¿ cant
growth opportunity exists for golf if it can
attract more women, girls and families
into playing the sport more often.
GolfPlus Junior June-July 2018
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