Brilliant Booth

THE Daily Telegraph Junior Golf Championship has yet again produced two talented champions in 15-year-old Carly Booth and Eamonn Hodgson. Both winners play off plus three and both were playing in the event, which was held at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, for the second time.

Since its inception more than 25 years ago, the championship has grown from being a small, boys-only event, to a huge national tournament which attracts some 45,000 entrants. Now, every girl and boy who plays golf in the UK aspires to make the final.

For some, it is a stepping stone to a successful career in golf, for others it is the trip of a lifetime that generates new friendships and unique experiences. Past winners include Rebecca Hudson, Sophie Walker, Justin Rose and Oliver Fisher, so to receive the winner’s trophy at the end of the week is to join an elite group of players with a great pedigree. Some arrive at the final already having had experience of playing internationally and representing their countries, but for others, such as 18-year-old Lauren Blease, it is a dream.

Blease, from Coombe Hill in Surrey, only took up golf 18 months ago, and in that time has already reduced her handicap to four!

As well as competing for the two prestigious titles and trophies, the boys and girls got to play floodlit golf, go on a jeep safari – this is not to be recommended for anyone with a faint heart – play with juniors from the United Arab Emirates at the Emirates Course and stay at the stunning Park Hyatt hotel.

The youngest finalist among the girls was Alexandra Peters, from Beeston Fields in Nottingham. Having just turned 14, Alex already plays off scratch and impressed everyone with her excellent play, finishing runner-up to Booth in the girls’ event.
Much has already been written about Booth, from Comrie in Scotland, but only time will tell whether or not she will become a world-class player.

One thing is certain, and that is that she has the potential to. It is two years since she played in her first final and in that time she has grown physically, become much stronger and gained a large amount of golfing experience. Having spent the last year at the David Leadbetter academy in Florida, Booth decided that that life wasn’t for her, and, after competing for Great Britain and Ireland in the Junior Vagliano match at North Berwick, she will travel to Arizona to take up a high school scholarship.

After an outstanding season, which included winning the Scottish U-21 Open Strokeplay and the European Young Masters, Booth played alongside the professionals in the recent Ladies’ Scottish Open at Loch Lomond and remarkably finished in a tie for 13th. Until Dubai, Booth ranked that as the highlight of her career, because it gave her the belief that she is good enough to play with the top pros in Europe.

Indeed, in the second round, she played with fellow Scot Catriona Matthew and found herself to be hitting the same length iron shots as her and actually driving the ball further off the tee!

Although Booth’s immediate ambition is to be a winning member of the Junior Vagliano team, her main goal for 2008 is to play in the Curtis Cup at St Andrews. Having had the pleasure of playing with Booth while we were in Dubai, and witnessing her victory there, she would certainly be in the team if I had anything to do with selection!

By the time next spring comes around and she has spent the winter playing and competing in America, she will have gained even more valuable experience and no doubt played with and against some of the American Curtis Cup players. My only concern is that being in America she may be under the radar for our selectors.

I hope this does not turn out to be the case and that the selectors realise what a talent they have on their hands. Finally, I would like to congratulate both Booth and Hodgson and wish them good luck in their future careers.