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Becky putts her name up for a career on golf
Becky Harries has done so well in the world of ladies’ golf that it came as no surprise when she won the ‘Female Sporting Achievement of the Year’ trophy at the ‘Sport Pembrokeshire Awards’ evening – and enjoyed one of the loudest cheers of the evening from her band of supporters that included her brothers Simon and Michael.
This talented young golfer from Haverfordwest is causing growing ripples in the world of golf because she is already a scratch golfer and at 20 years of age is a regular winner of tournaments involving the men at Haverfordwest Golf Club. In addition, Becky has become the club’s lady champion for the fourth year on the trot and won three other cups as reward for her commitment in playing four or five times per week.
Not content with that little lot, she is the course record holder not only at Haverfordwest but at Pontypool, Rhondda and Milford Haven as well.
Widely travelled
Becky has played in counties like France, Portugal, Spain and Dubai, where she came second out of 45,000 aspiring golfers and rated the course as the best she ever played on – a compliment since she has also competed at top courses like Royal Troon, Birkdale and Celtic Manor.
She is also a regular in the Welsh squad and showed her mettle when she entered the prestigious Glamorgan Championships at Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club and came away as champion. In the final she took on Sarah Hassan (Vale of Glamorgan Golf Club) and came away as winner by 2 and 1 – not bad going against someone who is also in the Welsh squad but has also represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the Curtis Cup.
Early start
As she told ‘Pembrokeshiresport.co.uk’, “It all seems a while ago when I set out as an 11 year old who had achieved some success at swimming for Pembrokeshire and West Wales but tried my hand at golf because Simon and Michael were already playing at Haverfordwest and allowed their kid sister to join them. It was a good move because I took to it like a duck to water and now I’m ahead of them in handicap since Simon (aged 24) is playing off a handicap of five whilst Simon (now 22) plays off two!
“I started out on a handicap of 54 and quickly reduced it to 29, then to 16 and eventually into single figures by the time I was 16. I’m now 20, and I’ve worked really hard, finally reached my target, to be a scratch golfer, a while ago.
“I play for Haverfordwest Ladies in the Welsh Championships alongside Elspeth Tolland, Marie McDougall, Ann Owen and Judith Phillips, and I really enjoy the challenge of competing outside the county. I would love to play for the club’s Tigers’ team but the rules don’t allow that.”
Welsh recognition
It is her competitive spirit which has earned Becky recognition ‘up the line’, starting four years ago when she was invited to join the Welsh junior squad on training courses at Celtic Manor and La Manga, in Spain. – and was thrilled to be selected for the squad of eight golfers. At under 18 level she played against England, Scotland and Ireland and won both pairs matches and four out of five singles, a record that anyone would be proud of.
Becky has played for Wales ever since, with England as the venue last year and Scotland as the host nation for this season, playing well and enjoying her golf, as she did in a three-week spell this campaign where she represented Wales at Conwy, North Wales, the European individual event in France and the home internationals in Scotland, gaining experience all the time as she now has been ‘capped’ 19 times.
Family support and future aims
Ask Becky about the support she has been given and she would immediately single out parents Linda and Stuart, plus her big brothers, of course, the lady members at Haverfordwest (and some of the men, too!) Her immediate target is to try to move from a scratch golfer to a ‘plus one’ handicap but it will take time because she can only move down in tenths. Her ultimate aim would be to represent Great Britain against the United States of America in the Curtis Cup but in the meanwhile she is delighted just to be playing golf and gaining the experience that will tie in with her natural ability and commitment to working hard for success. Becky Harries is really gaining a name in Wales for her golfing prowess and Pembrokeshiresport.co.uk is convinced that she will one day become a golf professional and do really well on the international circuit.
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