words simon grant pictures steve pope
spend just five minutes talking
to 15-year-old Welsh golfing
phenomenon, amy boulden,
and you’ll uncover a driving
ambition that is only too obvious.
refreshingly enthusiastic about
just about everything, bubbly
boulden spoke to simon grant
about her meteoric rise in the
world of ladies golf.
Spare a thought for Boulden. Not only Craigielaw Golf Club...and then I played in a to, “Just see how it goes amateur for a few
is the Ysgol John Bright’s pupil from Welsh ladies event called the Tenby Scratch years. I want to win a Welsh Ladies event
Llandudno balancing her crunch GCSE and came third in that...and then I won the this year maybe, but just see how that goes.
year and all the other normal teenage Welsh Girls’ Championship. I’d just come I want to turn pro in the end, I’m just not
obsessions, she is also managing to fit in back from another tournament, so I missed sure what age yet.”
a burgeoning golfing career, having burst my practice round, so it was good to win!
onto the senior ladies scene in 2008. All She will take the same level headed
this and she doesn’t even turn 16 until She pauses for a breath: “Then I played in approach to her attempts to play her way
August! the girls’ home international in scotland into the 2009 Vagliano Trophy team of nine
and won all my single matches...and then I players that defends their trophy in the
She swung her first golf club as a tot of got picked for the Ladies Home International biennial match between britain and europe’s
six years old, achieved a handicap of 28 and won all my single matches in that as well. top lady amateurs at Hamburger Golf Club,
by the age of nine and last year’s selection Recently I have just been picked to be in Germany, in July.
for the full welsh Ladies team and curtis the GB and Ireland squad as well – it’s really
cup squad has propelled her onto the good.” She has already been picked for the
Sports Council for Wales’ Elite Cymru preliminary 26-strong GB and Ireland squad
programme. She even has a Saturday “this year’s going to be hard but will have to wait until after the 2009
job working in the Maesdu clubhouse Ladies British Open Amateur Championship,
restaurant, joking that her social life is “all because i’ve got my exams,” at Royal St David’s Golf Club, in June to
at the golf club!” Not quite true, she also hear the final selection. Oh and there’s that
plays netball for the school and tries to Really good, indeed. And it is that small matter of clinching her GCSEs in the
go out with her friends ‘to get away from understated, calm temperament that meantime.
golf’ but it’s par for the course that she will is clearly taking her places. She was
train every day. unflappable in her acceptance of the Carwyn “This year’s going to be hard because I’ve
James Young Sportswoman of the Year got my exams,” she says. ”I’ve tried to get
For most of us at that age, talk of a award at the BBC Wales Sports Personality my competition timetable sorted out – what
Curriculum Vitae would no doubt have of the Year Awards in 2008; under the I can and can’t play in – so I don’t get over-
stirred blank expressions or, at the very admiring gazes of a star-studded audience golfed.
least, visions of an exotic sports car. But made up of the cream of welsh sportsmen
how about this for an impressive résumé? and women. She shrugs off the media “I’ll just try to keep it going for the rest of
attention, giggling, “It’s okay, I enjoy it!” the year. It’s going to be a lot of pressure
Amy rattles off her highlights, “Last year I this year...” she trails off. But something
came runner up in the scottish under 16s and what of ambitions for the future? tells you she will take it all in her stride, like
(Stroke Play Championship) and that was at Typically pragmatic, Boulden says she wants everything else.
driving aMbition
oulden
b
a
my
brought to you in association with
sports council wales
cyngor chwaraeon cymru SW
29
sportingwales
issue6twothousand&nine
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