Summer Elliott vows to 'play brave' in Scottish Girls' Open at Powfoot

Strong field set to do battle over 54 holes at Dumfries & Galloway venue

Inverness Golf Club member Summer Elliott is looking forward to another exciting season on the Scottish circuit. Picture: Gary Murison.

Summer Elliott has vowed to “play brave” as she leads the home contingent into battle against players from all around Europe in next week’s Scottish Girls’ Open at Powfoot.

The Scottish Golf event has attracted a strong field, with competitors set to represent a whole host of countries in Continental Europe, including no less than 45 players flying the German flag at the Dumfries & Galloway venue.

It means the likes of Elliott, last year’s Scottish Girls’ Order of Merit winner, face a tough task on home soil, but the 17-year-old Inverness Golf Club member is ready for the challenge.

“It’s exciting to have the Scottish Girls’ Open early in the season, and this being my last junior year I want to go there and play brave, leave the fears behind and give it my best shot and hopefully put the Scottish flag up on that leaderboard,” she said.

Elliott landed a notable title hat-trick last year as she won the Barrie Douglas Scottish Junior Masters at Strathmore, Paul Lawrie Junior Jug at Newmachar and Stephen Gallacher Foundation Vase at Schloss Roxburghe.

“I feel 2023 went well,” she said. “It was my best year so far, especially winning four important national competitions (the other one being a Scottish Junior Tour event at Golspie at Dornoch), breaking the course record at my home club Inverness with a five-under-par score, finishing the year as No 1 girl on the Scottish Golf Order or Merit and also being offered a sponsorship deal from Springfield Properties to help me achieve my golf goals.”

Her top targets for this year are to represent Scotland in both the European Team Championship and Home Internationals and “win as many points as possible” wearing Scottish Golf colours.

“I have been working quite a lot on my fitness this winter,” she said of enjoying strength and conditioning support at the University of Highlands and Islands in Inverness through Scottish Golf.

“That’s so I can hit my drivers further and also so I don’t feel tired when I have to play 36 holes in a day. I’ve also been playing quite a few match-play rounds throughout the winter to get ready for the season.”

Others set to fly the Saltire at Powfoot, where the top 60 and ties after 36 holes on Wednesday and Thursday will progress to a third and final round next Friday, include Royal Troon’s Freya Russell and Evie McCallum from Dunfermline.

Sabrina Wong, a 12-year-old Cathkin Braes who represented Hong Kong in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) event in Thailand earlier in the year, is also in the field, as is Paul Lawrie Foundation ambassador Ruby Watt.