Darcey Harry

The AIG Women’s Open is over but it has given a huge boost to the profile of Welsh women’s golf with Darcey Harry helping lead the way.

Welsh golfer Darcey Harry is about to compete on home soil as the AIG Women’s Open comes to Wales for the first time.

Darcey Harry is the rising star of Welsh golf and already has a Ladies European Tour trophy to prove it. But now she has her sights set on the Women’s Open, as Hamish Stuart reports.

Welsh golfer Darcey Harry starts her professional career on the Ladies European Tour this week – with the AIG Women’s Open in Wales as her number one target for the season. The event will be at her home club, Royal Porthcawl, at the end of July, and will be the biggest female sporting event ever held in Wales with the world’s top stars descending on the South Wales coast for the first men’s or women’s Major held in Wales.

Some of the most exciting talents in women’s golf will be on show in North Wales this week when the European Ladies Team Championships comes to Conwy. All the top European nations will be taking part including a US Women’s Open record breaker and players who have already finished in the top four of a Ladies European Tour event.

Ffion Tynan saw her run at the Women’s Amateur Championship ended after a battling display at the West Lancashire course near Liverpool. The Pontyclun prospect narrowly lost 2&1 to Curtis Cup golfer Annabell Fuller to just miss out on a spot in the quarter-finals.

Ffion Tynan kept Welsh hopes alive at the rain-hit English Women’s Amateur Championship. The Pontyclun teenager came through two tough matchplay rounds on Thursday as fellow Welsh golfers Jordan Ryan, Harriet Lockley and Darcey Harry bowed out at the West Lancashire course near Liverpool.

Top golf prospect Ffion Tynan led the way for Wales to finish fifth in the English Women’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship. The Pontyclun teenager finished on level par – six strokes behind winner Annabell Fuller of England at Burnham & Berrow Golf club. Tynan, who has won a golf scholarship in Arizona, carded rounds of 69 and 74 before finishing with a 73 and 72 on Thursday’s final day.

Wales Golf director of performance Gillian O’Leary has welcomed the invitations for top Welsh amateurs to experience professional golf through the Rose Ladies Series. Six Welsh amateur internationals had the chance to play alongside the likes of Solheim Cup players Georgia Hall, Charley Hull and Dame Laura Davies, in the series of events inspired by former US Open winner Justin Rose and his wife to plug the gaps in the schedule because of Coronavirus.

Ffion Tynan led the way as Wales golfers took three of the top four places at the Henry Cooper Junior Masters Girls in Nizels golf club in Kent. The Pontyclun schoolgirl underlined her status as one of Wales’ top young golfers as she took a five shot lead into the final round and sensible golf saw her preserve that lead, with a competitive race behind her for second.

Wales golfers Ffion Tynan and Darcey Harry have been picked for the Great Britain and Ireland team for the Junior Vagliano Trophy, making up a third of the six-girl squad. The Vagliano Trophy and Junior Vagliano Trophy against teams from mainland Europe will be played at Royal St George’s at the end of the month.

The new Welsh Boys and Welsh Girls champions both bounced back from adversity to claim their first national titles in tough conditions at Bull Bay in Anglesey. Yelverton’s Caitlin Evans-Brand finished her first stroke play round with a nine and eight, but learned the lessons in the match play stages, while for Tenby’s Luke Harries it was third time lucky after losing twice in the Welsh Boys final in previous years.