Dubai : One of the surprise attractions among the galaxy of European Tour superstars at The Invitational hosted by Abdullah Al Naboodah at the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club tomorrow will be a 10-year-old girl who is no bigger than the cut-down men's driver she swings.
Little Amelia McKee was the star of the Worldwide Golf Midweek Open played at Arabian Ranches Golf Club when she shot a net 65, gross 91, off a handicap of 26 to earn one of only two much-coveted Golden Tickets to play in The Invitational. The other Golden Ticket was won by James Collins as the leading adult.
Amelia's was a phenomenal round of golf that could have been even better. Faced with cameras and spectators at the final green, understandably, the nerves got to her and she four-putted when she could so easily have made it a net 63. Amelia's performance was still good enough to put her five shots clear of her nearest rival junior and four shots clear of the nearest adult in the field.
"She putted really well and that was what won the day for her, although it was a shame that the pressure got to her on the final green when she was in the spotlight and the cameras were on her," says her proud father, Rob.
Amelia's coach at The Montgomerie Dubai, Rhys Beecher, was equally delighted, saying: "She telephoned me straight after her win and was so pleased that she had made it into The Invitational hosted by Abdullah Al Naboodah. It has been her main motivation to play in The Invitational and I know she will cherish the experience.
Parental support
"Amelia has continued to improve her game. I believe her strength lies with her ability to take on new information and work hard to achieve her goals. We've made a few changes recently but she coped fine and that's down to her own dedication and the parental support that she has. That will continue to make her excel within the game."
Amelia started playing golf at the age of eight in Houston, Texas, having excelled as a swimmer. "We lived beside a golf course in the States and Amelia began to take an interest the game, spending hours hitting balls on the practice range," says Rob.
"She virtually lived on the course and won the first junior competition she entered. She was junior champion at the age of eight. She loves the game and she's got such a competitive spirit in everything she does."
