Mehaffey and Doyle spearhead home charge at Roganstown
Olivia Mehaffey in action on the Ladies European Tour recently in Agadir. Picture courtesy Tristan Jones/LET
Reigning champion Olivia Mehaffey and her international team mate Mary Doyle will head the Irish challenge in this weekend's Irish Girls Under 18 Open Strokeplay Championship at Roganstown Golf and Country Club.
The event has attracted the cream of Europe’s underage golfing talent as players vie for valuable World Amateur Golf Ranking points in what will be the first outing in the season for many of them.
Royal County Down star Mehaffey, who is just 16, will have a head start on most of the field having finished in an impressive tie for 47th on her Ladies European Tour debut in the Lalla Meryem Cup at Golf de L’Ocean in Morocco just two weeks ago.
As for Doyle from The Heath, she has made a strong start to the season with impressive results at the Portuguese and Spanish Championships and current form would indicate she is a favourite for the title.
The German contingent is strong with Greta Isabella Voelker, Chiara Mertens and Carolin Kauffmann all returning to Roganstown.
Scots Connie Jaffrey and Heather Munro also return to the venue along with numerous scratch players from Scotland, Sweden and England. The impressive list of entries — the cut off fell at 7 handicap — includes players from Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Iceland, Latvia and Norway.
Roganstown Golf & Country Club, a stone's throw from Dublin Airport and listed as one of Golf Monthly’s top 50 Play & Stay Resorts, has proved a very popular venue for the Championship and this will be its third successive year as host/.
The Championship course measures 5,580 yards with a par of 71 and greens that will test the field, which will will play 36 holes on Saturday with the top 50 players qualifying for the final round on Sunday.
Spectators are welcome with admission free of charge.
Draw for Saturday 5th April
1st tee 10th tee
- 07:30 13:00 Olivia Mehaffey (RCDL) Samantha Fuller (ENG) Greta Isabella Voelker (GER)
- 07:40 13:10 Mary Doyle (The Heath) Marina Hedlund (SWE) Chiara Mertens (GER)
- 07:50 13:20 Connie Jaffrey (SCO) Carolin Kauffmann (GER) Sarah Nilsson (SWE)
- 08:00 13:30 Clara Young (SCO) Sophie Hausmann (GER) Isabella Holpfer (AUT)
- 08:10 13:40 Frida Kinhult (SWE) Niamh McSherry (Lurgan) Sophie Harrison (Killeen Castle)
- 08:20 13:50 Gunnhildur Kristjansdottir (ISL) Chloe Weir (Shandon Park) Megan Jenkins (ENG)
- 08:30 14:00 Miriam Emmert (GER) Hazel MacGarvie (SCO) Meadhbh Doyle (Portarlington)
- 08:40 14:10 Marie Luise Kuschke (GER) Niamh Ward (Lurgan) Emma Adolfson (SWE)
- 08:50 14:20 Annabel Wilson (Lurgan) Molly Dowling (Lucan) Lauren Watson (SCO)
- 09:00 14:30 Clodagh Jones (Roscrea) Victoria Craig (Royal Belfast) Sara Hinriksdottir (ISL)
- 09:10 14:40 Caitriona Griffin (Killarney) Zoe Collins (IRE - Castle Royle) Katie Aherne (Waterford Castle)
- 09:20 14:50 Lisa O'Shea (Shannon) Priya Pankhania (ENG) Charlotte Munro (SCO)
10th tee 1st tee
- 07:30 13:00 Heather Munro (SCO) Lilia Kraft (GER) Karoline Stormo (NOR)
- 07:40 13:10 Emma Hale (SCO) Kirsty Beckwith (ENG) Anna Diana Svanka (LAT)
- 07:50 13:20 Julie McCarthy (Forrest Little) Ella Ofstedahl (ENG) Sara Kjellker (SWE)
- 08:00 13:30 Sally Fridstrom (SWE) Emily Dalgetty (SCO) Mollie Lawrence (ENG)
- 08:10 13:40 Frederike Johanna Kutschinski (GER) Shannon McWilliam (SCO) Louise Henningsson (SWE)
- 08:20 13:50 Ella Stromfelt (SWE) Tia Teiniketo (FIN) Rachel Taylor (Laytown & Bettystown)
- 08:30 14:00 Lauren Mackintosh (GER) Ciara Casey (Hermitage) Nicola Fall (FIN)
- 08:40 14:10 Gemma McCarthy (Clonmel) Hannah Karg (GER) Ainee O'Connor (ENG)
- 08:50 14:20 Mairead Martin (Killarney) Fenja Rengstorf (GER) Eleanor Metcalfe (Laytown & Bettystown)
- 09:00 14:30 Valerie Clancy (Killarney) Maeve Rooney (Co. Sligo) Amy O'Donnell (Royal Portrush)
- 09:10 14:40 Maeve Kelly (Castle Dargan) Gemma Allman (ENG) Laura Ryan (Dun Laoghaire)
- 09:20 14:50 Hafdis Johannsdottir (ISL) Magdalena Cervinkova (CZE) Linda Kirke (LAT)
