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Swedish amateur Julia Engström, born on 27th March, 2001, will make her debut appearance on the Ladies European Tour this week. The 13-year-old from Halmstad has been given an invitation to play in the Helsingborg Open at Vasatorps Golf Club after winning the Skandia Cup in the 13 and under age category on Sunday for the second straight year, with a course record 66 at Stenungsund Golf Club, 50km north of Gothenburg.
Julia was introduced to golf by her parents aged two when she used plastic clubs and she had her first real clubs by the age of four. At six, she watched The Solheim Cup take place in her home town of Halmstad and she dreams of playing in the tournament in the future.
In fact, Linda Wessberg, one of the stars of the 2007 European team who is currently out of action with a broken arm, is acting as her mentor and guide in Helsingborg this week.
“I don’t have any expectations; I just want to have fun and experience professional golf,” said Julia, who enjoys seeing her friends and playing tennis when not on the Ringnäs golf course. “Hopefully I will get to join the tour one day, so I’ll play golf and see how long it takes me.” She says that Annika Sörenstam and Rory McIlroy are her favourite golfers while her dad is her caddie in Helsingborg this week.
Considering it took Julia only nine years to reach a scratch handicap earlier this year and that she is already playing off +0.9, it will be interesting to follow the progress of this determined young golfer and to see where she is in the next ten.
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| Julia (right) and Linda Wessberg, her guide for the week |
