Curtis Carly

May 30 2008 by Gordon Bannerman

CARLY BOOTH first picked up a golf club at the age of three and, ever since, shes made a habit of breaking records.

This morning, the 15-year-old tees-off at the Old Course in St Andrews, on day one of the 35th Curtis Cup, setting a new record for the youngest GB and Ireland team member by seven months.

The Comrie Golf Club member, now playing off a handicap of plus three, first stepped into the golfing spotlight at the tender age of 10.

Now, she has been given access to the famous and once exclusively male preserve of the R and A locker rooms.

Mum Pauline, Lochview Farm, recalled: I still remember Carly picking up a putter for the first time during a family holiday at Butlins in Ayr.

She could only have been about 18 months old at the time. It was October and it was freezing.

No one else was playing but Carlys big brother Wallace was keen and so was Carly!

At the age of eight, Carly claimed an official 20 handicap playing out of Comrie Golf Club. The records soon followed and Scottish UK and European honours have all come her way.

This is the biggest event Ive played in. It is huge.

It has been very intense all week and the atmosphere will be fantastic over the next few days, said Carly, who enjoyed last nights flag-raising opening ceremony at the famous links.

The Americans have dominated the event over the years but we definitely want to win, especially at St Andrews.

Its the first time the cup has been played here.

The USA has won the last five Curtis Cup competitions but we believe we are in with a real chance. And hopefully it will be blowing a gale over the weekend!

Carly might hail from Comrie but shes been acclimatising over the past week!

She explained: Im attending Red Mountain High in Arizona and have been golfing pretty much every day over the past year.

When I left, the temperature was in the 100s!

I have had to come to terms with distances clubs cover here compared with Arizona.

Carly, whose drives average the other side of 250 yards, continued: I intend to enjoy myself but I tend not to show much emotion on the golf course.

Thats just the way I am. I try to be really focused.

The enormity of it all probably wont sink in for a long time to come.

Among the galleries following Carly during the three-day event will be family and friends. Prince Andrew could also be among the greenside crowd.

I met the Prince again at a Buckingham Palace reception for the team and he hopes to make it along, said Carly.

The teenager is hoping to emulate the form of her last competitive round over the Old Course, when she bagged five birdies and an eagle in last years St Rule tournament.

In the years spanning the thirties to the fifties, Jessie Valentine from Perth, was a Curtis Cup regular, appearing seven times in GB squads.

But while the next Curtis Cup might be in Carlys sights, her game plan is to step up into the pro ranks.

Meanwhile, the summer will be spent at courses up and down the country. But her most pressing priority is a US style sweet 16 birthday party on June 21!

Pauline said: Carly has worked hard for her success. She has made sacrifices to get this far.

From the outside looking in maybe it looks easy. But we know what it has taken to get here.

The Curtis Cup action is live on Sky Sports. The foursomes are lined-up for today and Saturday morning, the four balls are in the afternoons and the eight singles games are played on Sunday.