Latest news with #CathkinBraes
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Glasgow-based Sabrina Wong continues golfing progression
Back in April, she became the youngest winner of The R&A's Girls' under-16 Championship. Over the past few days in sun-seared North Wales, meanwhile, Wong has been making a spirited assault on the prestigious Girls' Amateur Championship crown at Conwy. Her brave bid, however, was thwarted by France's Lily Reitter who beat her on the final green of the semi-finals yesterday afternoon. It was good while it lasted. You have to go back to 1934 for the last 13-year-old Girls' Amateur champion. The Glasgow Herald, as it was known in ye day, headlined Nancy Jupp's success as an 'amazing performance at Stoke Poges' while the write-up of the Longniddry teenager's success declared that it was, 'unparalleled in the game'. Wong may not get the chance to win it at 13 again, but she'll certainly have a few more cracks at this cherished event. Watch this space. Wong has been making a name for herself for a while now and she has made Scotland her home after her mum and dad decided to up sticks and move from Hong Kong to Glasgow a couple of years ago to aid their daughter's golfing education. You could say it was a case of Cathay Pacific to Cathkin Braes? After a scouting mission in and around Glasgow, Wong decided that the southside club was the best base to hone her considerable talents. 'It's great,' she said with a ringing endorsement of a club that produced a DP World Tour winner in Scott Jamieson 'We explored a few clubs, and Cathkin Braes had such great facilities. I went for a round, practiced there and, pretty quickly, I said, 'yeah, this is the place'.' If she continues her triumphant progress, she'll be getting a commemorative cairn next to Queen Mary's Seat. The Scottish golf writers, meanwhile, are always keen to stick a kilt on a story so we'll be claiming her as one of our own pretty soon. Wong has already picked up the accent. Forget Cantonese, it's more Clarkston. 'I tend to pick up accents very quickly wherever I am in the world,' smiled Wong, who is a pupil at Williamwood High School. Shouldn't she have been back at school earlier this week, though? As far as Wong is concerned, school is still out for the summer. 'The school have really helped me out,' added Wong. 'I've been away a lot with my golf, but they have supported me and helped me catch up with schoolwork. 'Hong Kong education is good but it's strict and there's not as much flexibility there. It wasn't suitable for me trying to pursue a golf career.' As this pursuit of golfing excellence continues, the Wong family are certainly not cutting corners. Moving from the other side of the world to the home of golf, after all, was quite a big decision. 'We had no connection to Scotland at all,' said Wong. 'I was only 11 at the time and my parents made the choice. It was the right one for my golf. They've been supporting me since I started competing in events when I was five or six.' This dedication is bearing fruit as Wong continues to make her mark. 'I feel like I'm getting better and better,' she said. 'Last year was good and it was the start of me playing in these big junior events. But I was still only 12. 'When you're that age, you're not expecting to be beating 17 and 18-year-olds who are a foot taller than you. It was tough but a good learning experience. 'This year, I feel more prepared. I worked hard to try to gain more driving distance, my mental game has improved and I've done a lot of on course practice in general. 'I've been over to big events in Vietnam and Japan too. I made the cut at the Women's Amateur Asia Pacific. That was a major step for me as that event is so strong and it means so much to me.' She may not be big in stature but Wong, who gives the ball a fair old thump with a full-blown rotation, proves that guid things come in sma' bulk. Keep an eye on her.
Scotsman
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scottish golf round up: Wong win, Drysdale debut, McClymont's solid show
All the latest from tournaments involving Scottish golfers from Martin Dempster Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Sabrina Wong wins The R&A Girls' U16 Amateur Rising star Sabrina Wong has become the third member of a Scottish golf club to be crowned as The R&A Girls' Under-16 Amateur Championship. The 13-year-old, who attends Williamwood High School in Clarkston and plays her golf at Cathkin Braes, landed the title at Gog Magog in Cambridgeshire. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Cathkin Braes member Sabrina Wong poses with the Angela Uzielli Trophy after winning The R&A Girls U16 Amateur Championship at Gog Magog Golf Club | Kate McShane/R&A via Getty Images With rounds of 67-66-70, Wong posted a ten-under-par aggregate - the lowest total in the championship's history and also a record for the most strokes under par. A native of Hong Kong, she won by a shot from Ireland's Hannah Lee-McNamara, joining Hannah Darling and Grace Crawford on the event's roll of honour after their title triumphs in 2018 and 2022 respectively. In addition, Wong became the first player to win both the Girls' U16 Amateur and the prize for the championship's leading player under the age of 14. 'I like the sound of being the R&A Girls' U16 champion,' she admitted. 'This is my biggest win because it was such a strong field.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Legends Tour debutant David Drysdale in action during the Barbados Legends hosted by Ian Woosnam at Apes Hill in Saint James, Barbados. |David Drysdale shines on Legends Tour debut David Drysdale is hoping that a strong start to his Legends Tour career is a sign of things to come for him on the over-50s' circuit. The Cockburnspath-based player tied for third behind Australian Scott Hend on his debut in the Barbados Legends hosted by Ian Woosnam at Apes Hill, picking up $36,000. 'Very excited,' said Drysdale of the new chapter in his career. 'Not that excited to be 50, but it's a great opportunity to sort of become a rookie again, which is kind of cool.' Asked about his goals for the year, he added: 'I'd love to be in contention. I'd love to win a tournament. I think it's going to be a bit more relaxed than in the last few years, playing against all these young kids. They are all pretty serious and rightly so, so I'll just try to enjoy it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Yeah, to get a title here would mean a lot. I mean, I won a couple of Challenge Tour events, but I got really unlucky a couple of times (on the DP World Tour), like someone beat me with a freak shot. 'It still bugs me a little bit. I'm not going to lie. You know, not winning in so many starts. But, If I can win on the Legends Tour, it would make up for it.' John Henry, winner of the season-opener at Montrose Links, pictured with Golfbreaks Get Back to Golf Tour founder Alan Tait | Alan Tait Dan proves Toogood for rivals at Leven Links John Henry and Dan Toogood have both landed early-season wins on the 2025 Golfbreaks Get Back to Golf Tour. Henry, who is attached to Wilson Golf UK, posted a three-under-par 68 to come out on top in the season-opener at Montrose Links. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A round which consisted of 5 birdies and 2 bogeys, Henry posted a 3 under par 68 to win by one with a 3 under par 68, from fellow pros Scott Catlin ( Affordable Golf ) and Dan Toogood from the Myrus Golf Centre. 'I hope this win is the start of things to come this season,' he said of an effort that contained five birdies. 'Montrose Links was superb, especially so early on in the year. I've played it many times and arguably this was the best I've seen it.' Toogood, who finished joint-second in that event, then went one better as he carded a bogey-free six-under-par 65 at Leven Links. 'The course was in superb condition and the greens were rolling fantastic for the early part of the year,' said the pro at Myrus Golf Centre in Macduff. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I've been playing in the North East Alliance to stay competitive and planning on playing a mixture of Golfbreaks Get Back to Golf Tour, Tartan Pro Tour and PGA Scottish events this year, all mixed in with a busy coaching schedule.' Longniddry hosts the circuit's next event on 14 May. Lorna McClymont maintained her solid start in the pro ranks with a top-ten finish on the LETAS in Morocco | Mark Runnacles Lorna McClymont makes mark in first LETAS start Lorna McClymont marked her first outing on the Ladies European Tour Access Series with a top-ten finish in Morocco. The Scot, who will mainly be teeing up on the LET feeder circuit over the coming few months, followed an opening 70 in the Madaef Golfs Ladies Open by Saidia Resorts with scores of 76 and 73 at Golf Lacs Saidia. Finishing with a three-over-par total in an event won in a play-off by England's Thalia Martin, McClymont finished joint-eighth to pick up $1,400. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A member of last year's Curtis Cup-winning GB&I team, McClymont has made a solid start to her professional career, which included an eye-catching spell in South Africa. 'Playing four events in five weeks on the Sunshine Tour was a great experience,' she said. St Andrews celebrate winning the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Match-Play event at Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire | Universoty of St Andrews St Andrews scholars crowned 'Best of British' Golfers representing the University of St Andrews capped a memorable season by being crowned as the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) champions for the third time in four years. In an event held at Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire, St Andrews beat Exeter in a sudden-death play-off in the semi-finals to set up a title decider with Stirling. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It was the fourth time in a row that the pair had met in the final, with St Andrews claiming victory in 2022 and 2023 but Stirling coming out on top in 2024. Helped by a 3-1 lead from the morning foursomes, St Andrews returned to winning ways with a hard-earned 7-5 victory. 'This year has been nothing short of extraordinary for University of St Andrews golf,' said director of golf Ian Muir, 'In addition to our team victory, we also celebrated a historic achievement by winning both the male and female Student Tour Series Order of Merits for the first time. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The team has been in excellent form throughout the 2024/25 season, with eight individual wins across both semesters. It's been a year of triumph, teamwork and exceptional golf.' Nick McCarthy shows off the trophy after winning the Aberdeen Golf Links Pro Am at Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay and Trump International Golf Links | Aberdeen Golf Links Pro Am McCarthy just Nicks it in Aberdeen Golf Links Pro Am Nick McCarthy pulled off a profitable raid north of the border by winning this year's Farmfoods Aberdeen Golf Links Pro Am. The Leeds-born professional produced three days of solid golf at three of Scotland's top courses to land a top prize worth £4,500. He opened with five-under 67 at Trump International Golf Links helped by birdies at the third, fourth, seventh, 12th, 13th, 17th and 18th Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad McCarthy then added a six-under-par 64 at Cruden Bay, where he opened with a bogey before making birdies at the second, third, fifth, eighth, 12th, 13th and 15th. In his closing two-under-par 69 at Royal Aberdeen, he picked up birdies at the eighth, tenth and 14th before dropping his only shot of the day at par-4 15th. Needing a par at the last, McCarthy knew he'd slightly tugged his approach as it found a greenside bunker but then produced a brilliant up and down, holing a nasty six-foot left-to-right putt for the victory.
