Golfer’s achievements put her in national spotlight

A star pupil from Barrow is over the moon after being featured among her sporting heroes in the latest edition of Golf News.

Florence Martindale, who is in Year 5 at Newbarns Primary and Nursery School, recently took part in her first international competition in Marbella

The nine-year-old placed fifth in the world in the Daily Mail World Junior Golf Championship and was proud to show off her medal to her friends in school.

But it was the appearance alongside the likes of Tiger Woods and her hero Nelly Korda in the UK’s biggest golf news magazine that took her breath away.

“She couldn’t believe what she was seeing when I showed her,” said her mum Ruth. “It is where most people would look to find out more about really good golfers.”

Florence said it had been a great experience playing in Spain against other girls from around the world with games against players from Japan and Sweden.

“I was excited but nervous about how I was going to play as it is quite a hard course set in the mountains and has very fast greens. You need to get a good line off the tee and I’ve just changed my swing,” she said. “What I really like is that it’s a chance to make friends with others who share my love of golf.”

Completing her nine holes with her handicap of 21.2 she got an eagle on the par 5 and a birdie on 9^th hole.

Florence secured a sponsorship from The Big Golf Company after they saw her achievement in school via the Cumbria Crack news website. She had been featured after securing a South Cumbria Multi-Academy Trust superstar award for combining her rising golf career with her commitment to her studies.

Her mum Ruth said it had been amazing for Florence and her family to get support from the school, the Trust and her new sponsors.

“Florence was probably one of the only competitors who didn’t have a sponsor so The Big Golf Company, based in Cumbria, got in touch and kitted her out for the whole tournament, which gave her a real boost.

“Living in Barrow we do a lot of travelling for her coaching at Carus Green and her competitions and she competes against girls who have great facilities on their doorstep.

“That said, she is used to playing in windy conditions in Barrow, Ulverston and Kendal when some of the others might struggle with weather conditions that are less than perfect so there are advantages too.”

Florence will next compete in Ireland at the invitation-only Champion of Champions Junior World Championship which will be held in July 2025 and brings together 250 of the top junior golfers in the world.

ENDS

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