Carly Booth knows she can lean on the advice of major winner Catriona Matthew as she makes her debut in the US Women’s Open in New York on Thursday.
The Comrie girl turned 21 last week and makes her first major championship appearance at Sebonack Golf Club, on Long Island, and she backs Matthew as a challenger to win her second major title just a few weeks after she went close with a loss to Inbee Park in a play-off in the LPGA Championship.
South Korea’s Park, the winner of both women’s majors so far, is going for an unprecedented three in a row at Sebonack this week.
“Catriona’s a wonderful person, she’s so nice,” said Carly. “I’ve played with her a few times now and she is so level-headed and great to watch.
“Even playing with her, I feel I learn from her and just the way she strides about the golf course.
“Obviously she has that experience when you have been doing it a long time, but she’s such a great player and she is someone I look up to.”
Carly asked for advice from both Catriona and Janice Moodie when she first started playing tournament golf and they were quick to help, she recalled.
“I first met Catriona at the Scottish Ladies when I first played in my first professional tournament, and funnily enough on the final day I ended up beating her by a shot,” she said.
“That was a quite amazing first experience with her, but she was so nice to me and I was obviously quite young at the time. I spoke to her and Janice through email about playing a tournament together that week so she was very helpful towards me. I know she is someone I could call if I needed advice. I think she would be happy to help.”
This will be Carly’s first professional outing in the USA as well as her first major, although she knows the country well having spent many of her teenage years at academies in Florida and Arizona.
“In some ways that will help, and I guess this is a bit bigger than the usual events, but I’ve been to America a few times and know what to expect from the crowds and everything,” she added.
“It’s going to be a great experience, I think. It is definitely going to be different to the one when I was 14.
“I do want to get out there and play the LPGA Tour eventually. Finding my feet on the European Tour comes first just because it is a big step to go.
“I think maybe next year I am going to try for LPGA qualifying, but I want to feel ready and make sure I’m ready to make the step. I am just turned 21 I’m still young and so there’s plenty of time.”
Carly’s boyfriend, Tano Goya, the young Argentinian pro, qualified for the men’s US Open and just on Monday secured a place in the Open Championship at Muirfield, but while Carly’s playing the US version, she will have to qualify to make the RICOH British Women’s Open at St Andrews.
“There’s a qualifier at the Berkshire and then Kingsbarns for final qualifying and that’s the way in,” she said. “The only other way would be to win this week.
“I had a good year last year and it hasn’t quite taken off in 2013, but we still have quite a few tournaments to go yet before the end of the season, so you never know what’s going to happen.
“I go to every tournament wanting to win, so I’m going to do my best.”