Rising Scottish golf star Carly McDonald makes it back-to-back wins

Step forward Carly McDonald, who has just turned 14 but, like Darling in particular at the same age, is already producing some eye-catching performances.

A week past Sunday, the member of St Regulus Ladies Golf Club in St Andrews won the Barrie Douglas Foundation Scottish Junior Masters by four shots at Strathmore Golf Centre in Perthshire.

Boosted by that effort, McDonald made it back-to-back victories by storming to a ten-shot success in the Stephen Gallacher Foundation Vase at Schloss Roxburghe in the Borders.

“It is great, it is really good,” said McDonald of her latest title triumph. “It is pretty high up there in terms of my best victory and it is really good to win back-to-back after my win in the Barrie Douglas Junior Masters as well.”

The Madras College pupil posted rounds of 68-72-72-70 for a nine-under total at Strathmore, where she finished ahead of her St Regulus clubmate Abigail May.

Taking up where she’d left off in that event, McDonald opened with a 68 in her latest assignment before adding three successive 71s for an equally-impressive seven-under aggregate.

“I knew I was in good form, so I knew I had quite a good chance,” she added. “It was good scoring because it’s a strong golf course and a long walk as well.”

McDonald, who enjoyed the thrill of representing Scotland along with her brother Jamie in the combined Girls and Boys Home Internationals last year, was recently selected in the Great Britain & Ireland team for the Junior Vagliano Trophy later this month.

In what is likely to be her last appearance in the amateur ranks, Darling will be playing in the women’s event at Royal Hague in the Netherlands and the girls’ version is running alongside it.

“Yeah, it is amazing to be picked for that again, having also played in the last one, and I am so looking forward to it,” said McDonald. “I’ve then got the European Team Championship, with the selections being announced on Monday, then the Girls’ Amateur.”

Jodie Graham, a Stephen Gallacher Foundation ambassador who is a member at both Hamilton, finished as McDonald’s closest challenger after rounds of 70-79-71-71.

However, the stage belonged to the in-form player in the Scottish junior girls’ game. “I’ve played golf basically since I was two years old,” said McDonald. “We live in St Andrews and I’ve grown up with such good facilities on my doorstep, which has been really helpful.”

Asked who her golfing idols are, she added: “I really like (world No 1) Nelly Korda and I always liked (former Women’s Scottish Open champion) Carly Booth due to her being Scottish as well.”

Won in the past by Bob MacIntyre, the Stephen Gallacher Foundation Trophy, held concurrently at Schloss Roxburghe, was lifted on this occasion by Jamie Henshaw.

The Bruntsfield Links member signed off with a 66 for a three-under total, winning by three shots from Kai Laing, Darling’s Broomieknowe clubmate.

Elsewhere, leading qualifier Connor Graham bowed out of The Amateur Championship in the last 32, losing at the 20th to Ethan Fang after the American world No 7 had birdied the 17th and 18th after being two down with two to play to force extra holes.