Ffion follows up European win with strong showing in Asia

Welsh golfing prodigy Ffion Tynan has continued her magnificent summer with a record smashing performance at the World Junior Asian Championships in Jakarta.

The 10-year-old from Tonyrefail became the first non-Asian player to finish in the top five in any age category with a third-place in the Girls – D Division, coming off the back of her US Kids Golf European Championship victory at Gullane last month.

Ffion in action in Jakarta.

Her proud father Andrew described her Asian feat as a “great achievement”, saying: “She coped with the 18-hour flight and the practicing well.”

He also described how she suffered with a skin allergy throughout the event which inflamed her face and led to a few difficulties on the course.

“She had a few scares and worries but the medical team were fantastic,” he added. “It shows she has good character and although she had the choice of not playing on the final day that was never an option. She enjoys playing golf too much.”

A first round 97 looked a tough ask to claw back when Thailand’s Unyamanee Wongaroon carded a 78. But by the end of day two a second round 90 had her well placed, and going on to the 18^th tee in round three she sat in second. But a double bogey on the par four final hole saw her drop to third alongside home-grown Valencia Andov.

She finished with a gross 279, two strokes behind Marelda Pyrena Ayal, also of Indonesia, and 35 strokes behind the victorious Wongaroon.

It had been even better in Scotland where she held off Czech youngster Elisabeth Krenovska to lift the Under-10 Girls’ title at the US Kids European Championship by six strokes.

Ffion with her US Kids European Championship trophy in Scotland.

After a fourth-place finish last year, she led by a shot on day one before extending that to three by the end of day two. She then played against her closest challengers – Krenovska and India’s Vasundhara Thiara – but produced what Andrew described as “one of her best performances” to triumph by six strokes.

“It was a very good achievement,” he beamed. “There was a lot of pressure on day three but she showed her strength and pulled out all the stops to win.”

Next up, Ffion heads to the States to take part in the ‘American Swing’, encompassing the San Diego Junior Masters, the Callaway World Junior Championships, The World Junior Masters in Las Vegas and the US Kids World Championships at the famous Pinehurst Resort; the world finals of the European title she won in Scotland.

Andrew added of her chances: “She’s practicing hard to re-tune her game. It’s a different type of game in Asia but the US is similar to here, so we are trying to adapt again.

“We want to be in with a shout so it’s a case of taking it a day at a time and seeing where it takes us.”

It would seem that the only destination is upwards for the young golfing hopeful.