Ffion Tynan has underlined her reputation as one of Welsh golf’s rising young stars by winning the Scottish Girls Championship at Monifieth.
The 15-year-old Pontyclun schoolgirl – who struck her first hole-in-one at the age of nine – was the only player who finished below par as she came from behind to take the title.
Up against some players two years her senior, Ffion struck a final round one-under par 72 to complete a one-under aggregate of 218. It was enough to give her both the main title and the Menzies Trophy for best Under-16 finisher.
Ffion’s late surge gave her a two-shot victory over Natasha Slater, who had led until she dropped five strokes on the last six holes.
When Tynan birdied the 17th, that gave her all the cushion she needed to see out the win.
“I was really excited going into the last day, trying to be aggressive,” said Ffion, a member of the GB&I Junior Vagliano Trophy squad.
So excited and very proud to be Scottish Girls Champion 2018 with scores 74 72 72 -1 what a fantastic start to the season #Champion ⛳️ https://t.co/kNOveuVfuu pic.twitter.com/rmovTrkGss
— Ffion (Fifi) Tynan (@fifigolf) April 6, 2018
“I was hoping for a top-three finish but I knew I was capable of getting more if I did everything I wanted to do.
“The weather hasn’t been great this week, but I really enjoyed it. 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.”
Her victory comes at a time when Augusta National have announced they plan to host a women’s amateur event from next year.
This triumph will lift Ffion into the world rankings, and a top 50 place on those is going to be a qualifier to get into the new Augusta event.
“I’ve got my WAGR rating now, I’m hoping to get my handicap to a plus figure by the end of the year and try to get a couple more high tournament finishes,” she added.