Golf: Young gets GB&I call despite never playing for Scotland

CLARA YOUNG'S potential to become the new Catriona Matthew has been recognised by the Great Britain & Ireland selectors - before she has even played for Scotland!

The 14-year-old from North Berwick has been picked for a new under-16 girls' match against the Continent of Europe alongside the Vagliano Trophy in Wales at the end of this month.

Her selection comes on the back of a great start to the season, which has included Young becoming the youngest-ever East Lothian women's champion.

She also finished a highly-respectable 34th in the Helen Holm Trophy at Troon against most of the top GB&I women.

And, a fortnight ago, Young caught the eye again as she qualified for the match-play phase of the Scottish Women's Championship, giving title holder Kelsey MacDonald a run for her money in the second round at Machrihanish.

"I'm really pleased to be selected for GB&I," said the North Berwick High School pupil. "I was not expecting it so the e-mail I got was a nice surprise."

It is rare for players to earn GB&I recognition before playing for their country, but Young clearly has the raw talent Matthew also displayed early in her career before going on to become a major winner and Solheim Cup star.

In fairness to the Scottish selectors, they included the rising East Lothian star in a side that competed within the Scottish Under-16s Open Championship at Strathmore earlier in the year.

She has also just been selected to represent Scotland in the European Young Masters in Hungary in July.

And there seems little doubt that Young will have already secured a berth in the Scottish team for the Girls' Home Internationals at Gullane in August.

"It's certainly turning into an exciting year for me - there is a lot happening," she added.

From a golf-mad family, Young was four when she first picked up a plastic golf club before progressing to the real thing a couple of years later.

Her game has come on leaps and bounds first through the clubgolf junior programme and, more recently, through working with top coach Colin Brooks.

She won the North Berwick women's championship two years running before joining Matthew on the list of East Lothian title winners.

In that event, the talented teenager beat two-time champion Lesley Nicholson in the semi-finals at Musselburgh before claiming the crown with a win over county captain Mary Lou Renton in the final.

"Clubgolf coaching in East Lothian is really helping because they are getting a lot of young people in and improving the numbers of people playing," said Young.

"The winter coaching at Heriot-Watt has helped a lot and a few of the players who have been on the indoor coaching have started the year off very well."

On Braid Hills-based Brooks, she added: "Colin has changed a few things on my swing over the winter. I've improved my driving, accuracy and keeping a score going in general for the whole round.

"I'm hitting the ball further as well which helps."

Brooks, who won the Scottish Amateur Championship the year before Colin Montgomerie, is the SGU Academy's East coach.

He started working with Lloyd Saltman at a similar age and helped him to go on and secure a European Tour card this season.

"Clara is making good progress," he said. "She's a nice wee girl and is quite a rounded player - you'd be hard pressed to say she has any glaring weaknesses in her game.

"I worked with Julie Yang for a bit last year and, playing off plus five at the age of 15, which is outrageous, she is on a totally different level.

"But Clara is a bit of a natural and one of the things I really like about her is that she can work things out for herself after you've told her something."

Young is the sole Scot in the side for the new event in Wales, where MacDonald, Louise Kenney and Pamela Prestwell will be flying the Saltire in the Vagliano Trophy.