Record breaking Nairn golfer becomes North of Scotland champion

IONA Reid secured the biggest win of her career as she claimed the North of Scotland Ladies Championship for the first time.

The Nairn golfer did it in style as she managed to break the course record at Muir of Ord during the first round of qualifying.

She recorded a magnificent round of 70 before going on to victory in the matchplay section of the tournament.

The 21-year-old secured the North Ladies Championship title for the first time when she won by 2up in the final in an impressive performance.

Reid, who works at Nairn Golf Club, says she was delighted to lift the trophy and also doing so by breaking the course record at Muir of Ord during qualifying.

Speaking about becoming champion, she said: “It is the first time that I have won it.

“I played very well in the qualifying rounds and broke the course record so I was the leading qualifier.

“It was quite close in the final.

“You do focus on different things in matchplay as you are playing against another person and not the scoreboard.

“I would say that it is the biggest win of my career so far. I didn’t get to play the event last year, so to be able to play it this year and win is a big thing for me.”

The former Nairn Academy pupil didn’t start playing golf until she was a teenager when she received encouragement from her father to take up the game.

It was quickly ascertained she had a talent for the sport and could go on to become a swinging success in golf.

She has dominated the Nairn Dunbar Golf Championship in recent years and also been acknowledged for her achievements in golf as a teenager.

“I didn’t take up golf properly until I was 14, and I haven’t played overly long,” she said.

“ I started playing golf with my dad and soon afterwards started playing in competitions.

“Since then, I have won the Nairn Dunbar Golf Club Championship for the fifth time this year and I won a Scottish Development Academy Award when I was 15.”

Reid, whose handicap is one, is also studying golf management at the University of the Highlands and Islands at Dornoch.

She is now preparing to play at a golf competition at St Andrews this week where she will look to carry on from her success of winning the North of Scotland Championship.

Looking to her future in the sport, she says she hopes to increase the number of competitions she is taking part in and see how far she can go in golf.

Reid said: “Once I graduate from university next year, I am looking to play in a number of amateur golf events just to see how good I am in those and then see where I end up.

“At the moment, I am travelling around Scotland and the rest of the UK playing at competitions.

“I am definitely looking to play at more events across the UK next year and see where I can go in golf.”

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