A talented young golfer from Alyth is hoping to follow in the footsteps of her hero and fellow Perthshire resident Carly Booth.
Despite being only 11, Kirsty Brodie has impressed experts with her skills. With a handicap of 19, she has been tipped as one to watch and took her clubs to the Scottish Schools Golf Championship on Monday.
Although it was the first time Kirsty had played on the Murrayshall course near Scone, she finished her first round with a respectable score of 90.
However, she told The Courier she was hoping to beat this during the next round of the competition, which has been organised by the Paul Lawrie Foundation.
Kirsty the youngest player at the event said, “The front nine was good, but not the back. I wanted to play a bit better than I did, but I was a little bit nervous.”
She added, “I think I’ve done quite well considering I’ve never played that course before and I thought it was quite good, so I’d like to come back again.”
A member of the Strathmore Golf Club in Alyth, Kirsty has been playing since she was four and tagged along with her father and brother.
She has never looked back and last year she lifted the girls’ trophy at Brechin Golf Club, and retained the president’s trophy at her home club.
She has also played at the famous Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, coming third and fourth in the Wee Wonders World Golf Championship.
Father Ron told The Courier that Kirsty is keen to improve her game, and is a big fan of female golfers including Comrie teenager Carly.
“In the summer she plays four or five times a week and comes round the course with me and her brother before playing at the club. As soon as she was old enough to compete she was taking part in competitions and plays with the Strathmore ladies team.”
He added, “She’s giving me a run for my money now and is hoping to take it a bit further. We do encourage Kirsty to make sure she enjoys it as well, as we don’t want it to become a chore.”
Over 100 schoolchildren from across Scotland joined Kirsty to take part in the competition at Murrayshall and Lynedoch courses in Perthshire.
The leading players will represent Scotland in an annual match against England later this year.