Louise Duncan out with world No 1 in Augusta National Women's Amateur

Louise Duncan will have the world No 1 for company when she makes history along with Hannah Darling as the first Scots to tee up in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur this week.

Duncan, the Women’s Amateur champion from West Kilbride, is in the same group as top-ranked American Rose Zhang for Wednesday’s opening round at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta.

The duo will be joined by Sara Kouskova, the world No 27 from the Czech Republic, for the first of two rounds at that venue, with the top 30 after 36 holes progressing to Saturday’s final circuit at Augusta National.

Duncan, who sits 49th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, and 11th-placed Darling are among 72 players competing in the tournament’s third staging.

Louise Duncan acknowledges the applause on the 18th green during the final round of the AIG Women's Open at Carnoustie. Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images.

Broomieknowe’s Darling, who qualified by winning the Girls’ Amateur Championship last year, has Italian Benedetta Moresco and American Latta Stone in her group for the opening round.

Duncan, who recorded a top-10 finish in last year’s AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie, spent last week at Sage Valley in South California with her coach, West Kilbride professional Iain Darroch, to get herself acquainted with US-style courses.

“It is quite early in the season, so it’s a case of thinking about how to play golf again with a card in your hand,” said the Stirling University student. “It’s always difficult getting back into the swing of things after the winter, so I think that’s going to be the most difficult part for me.”

In a recent R&A Student Tour Series event in Spain, Duncan opened with an 80 before adding scores of 74-71 to finish seventh behind fellow Scot Lorna McClynmont.

Hannah Darling has been in good form for University of South Carolina heading into this week's event.

“It was good to go to Spain and get all the stupid mistakes out of my system,” she added. “I had a bit of a nightmare in the first round, but I got better each round and felt a lot more comfortable in the last round. Hopefully that’s a sign of what’s to come.”

Darling, who is in her first year at University of South Carolina, is healing into the event in fine event, having finished joint-second in the recent Valspar Augusta Invitational at Forest Hills before also claiming a top-5 spot in the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic at the University of Georgia Golf Course on Sunday.

“Hannah will know already what it’s all about over there and it will be good to see her and find out how she’s getting on,” said Duncan of her compatriot. “The goal - 100 per cent - is to make it through to the last round at Augusta National. If I can achieve that, it will be a bonus, to be honest.

“Overall, this week is just about the experience because I’ve not had a lot of that in the States and it will be good to be exposed to playing over there.”

English pair Annabell Fuller and Caley McGinty are also in a field that includes 39 of the top 40 women amateur golfers in the world as they bid to follow in the footsteps of inaugural winner Jennifer Kupcho and 2021 champion Tsubasa Kajitani.

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