Cleethorpes golf star Clyburn shows her class in breakthrough year

HOLLY Clyburn has reflected on the "big season" that has seen the 19-year-old establish herself as the country's top-ranked girls golfer and taken her to the brink of history.

Clyburn, of Cleethorpes, is in the provisional 2010 Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup squad and is pushing hard for selection into the final squad of eight that will be announced on April 25.

It's been a long journey for the Woodhall Spa Golf Club-affiliated player, who has competed against the world's top amateur golfers in competitions as far afield as Slovenia, Abu Dhabi and the US.

The last 12 months have been particularly memorable for the former pupil of St Martin's Prep School, Grimsby.

In March last year, representing the Grimsby Institute, she won the British Colleges Championship, held at Kittocks course, at Fairmont St Andrews, and set a new course record for the competition in the process.

A month later, she won the French Under-18 Open at St Cloud – and put in a performance that prompted English Women's Golf Association performance director Linda Bayman to comment: "She (Holly) has moved up into a totally different league."

Clyburn then switched her attention to international duty, winning a Silver medal with England in the European Amateur Ladies' Team Championship in Bled, Slovenia, in July and guiding her team to a Gold medal in the Girls International Home Nations matches at Fairhaven, Lancashire the following month.

August also saw her achieve her biggest win yet individually, when she became FirstPoint USA English Girls' Championship at North Wilts.

And, after being named in the provision Curtis Cup squad in September, Clyburn immediately set about impressing the selectors.

In November, she won the girls' title at the Faldo Series Grand Final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, finished joint-third in the Abu Dhabi Junior Golf Championship and tied for fourth position at the Spirit International Amateur Championship at Whispering Pines, Texas, with fellow England international Rachel Jennings.

Clyburn then started the new year by defying chilly winds to finish joint-second in the Women's Dixie Amateur Championship in Florida – and her latest achievement is a fourth-place finish at the Hacienda Del Alamo Women's and Girls' Festival in Murcia, Spain.

On her achievements, the 19-year-old reflected: "Last season was a big season for me.

"It got me into the full ladies performance team, where I played for England in Slovenia and gained a silver medal.

"Later in the year we won the girls home internationals – which made it a big year for England and myself.

"I won the French Open in April and that gave me the confidence I could win more tournaments throughout the year.

"And when I became England girls champion the title gave me even more confidence.

Clyburn added that all her travelling has given her an insight into what her career might be like in the future as a professional golfer.

"When I went to Brazil it was different conditions out there.

"It's important being able to play against all the elements in various countries.

"With all the travelling I've been doing it does I feel I have been living like a pro, just without all the paparazzi around.

"In the US I met Paula Creamer – one of my favourite golfers.

"She was lovely, very down to earth."