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The Women's Amateur
Star quality field for Women’s Amateur at Prince’s
06 Jun 23
3 mins
The field for next week’s Women’s Amateur Championship at Prince’s, to be held between 13–18 June, contains an impressive selection of top-ranked players from around the globe.
Within the 144-player field who will start the stroke play element of the competition, no fewer than 38 countries will be represented. Eila Galitsky of Thailand, 16, is the current Women’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion and will make her second appearance in The Women’s Amateur at the prestigious Kent venue. “I’m really looking forward to it because last year was a really good experience for me,” said the teenager. “I missed the cut right on the number so that was kind of sad. So hopefully this year I can do better and just gain more experience as it’s a strong field this year.”Exciting year
In beating Minsol Kim by five shots in Singapore to claim the Asia-Pacific title, she earned places in both the Amundi Evian Championship and the AIG Women’s Open in August at Walton Heath. She also played in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April. It’s been quite a year for the teenager. “Winning in Singapore allowed me to play at Augusta and in my first major – the Chevron Championship,” she said. “I finished well in the Chevron (tied 28th) and those experiences have been amazing. I’m looking forward to playing in the AIG Women’s Open most of all. It’s a career-goal of mine to win that championship – maybe this year!” A quarter-finalist in last year’s R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship at Carnoustie and a participant in The R&A Junior Open at Monifieth, Galitsky is looking forward to a return to the links. “You need great variety of shots, certainly around the greens,” she added. “I’m confident right now, playing well and I feel good about my shots. I’m just hoping the weather is kind!”
Hannah Darling - Scotland
“I can draw a lot from last year’s performance and even the performances of the last three years. All three years I’ve been beaten by the eventual winner so that’s something to give me a bit of fuel going into the week.”
Darling returns
From closer to home, Scotland’s Hannah Darling is the highest-placed home player on the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®) to be competing at Prince’s. The 19-year-old currently sits at 10th on the ranking. The young Scot, who represents Broomieknowe GC, is twice a semi-finalist (2021 and 2022) in The Women’s Amateur and is looking forward to having another shot at victory. “I can draw a lot from last year’s performance and even the performances of the last three years,” she says. “All three years I’ve been beaten by the eventual winner so that’s something to give me a bit of fuel going into the week.” Darling, a former R&A Girls Amateur Champion and a sophomore at the University of South Carolina, knows what it takes to play well through what will be a long week of testing golf.Energy
“I know I need to manage my energy during the week,” she says. “Depending on how far you make it in the match play you could end up playing a lot of golf so that’s something I’ve learnt in the past. I feel that my game is in a good place right now coming off a busy semester in the US but I’m excited to get back and play some links golf.” A strong contingent from Asia and Australia will make the journey to Kent for The Women’s Amateur, while South and Central America, the Caribbean and Canada will also be represented. Twelve golfers from the USA will take part at Prince’s, including 2021 US Women’s Amateur champion Jensen Castle and world number 31 Latanna Stone. From Europe, no fewer than 15 Swedish players will start the event, including high-ranked Ingrid Lindblad. There are also 12 golfers from Spain, 10 players from Germany, including world number 20 Helen Briem, and ten entrants from France competing.Jess Baker Wins at Hunstanton | The 119th Women's Amateur | Highlights