Florentyna chases dream of Curtis Cup appearance

Jan 29 2008 by Richard Williamson, Liverpool Daily Post

FLORENTYNA PARKER is embarking on the biggest year of her blossoming golf career.

The Royal Birkdale player – who finished as England’s leading girl player in 2007 – is chasing a place in the prestigious Curtis Cup team.

She has already been chosen for an 18-strong training squad for the match, held every other year, against the Americans.

This year’s meeting of the top lady amateurs from either side of the Atlantic takes place over three days at The Old Course at St Andrews from May 30 to June 1. The USA team, which has won the last five Curtis Cup matches, has already been named, but the final line-up of eight players to represent Great Britain and Ireland is due to be announced at the end of March, which means a good start to the season will help nudge the selectors, who will also take last year’s form into consideration.

Florentyna’s list of achievements in 2007 will certainly help.

In her last season of junior golf she won the English Ladies Golf Association’s girls’ order of merit, despite playing only a limited number of events.

But her record included winning the French lady junior title and finishing runner-up in the British strokeplay championship.

The 18-year-old also helped England to a bronze medal in the European team championship and played a crucial role in Europe’s Junior Solheim Cup win. She had a 100% record in the series at Bastad in Sweden, winning all three of her matches against the Americans.

She rounded off the year in America, where she finished sixth at the Junior Orange Bowl and the Doral-Publix Junior Golf Classic, both in Florida.

Florentyna will be looking to continue her good form in the Portuguese Amateur later this month and the Spanish Amateur at the end of February to give herself as strong a case for inclusion in the team as possible.

On her chances of being chosen, she says: “It is going to be difficult; there is some very stiff competition. But last year was my best so I have given myself every chance.

“I had my lowest round, a seven under par in the final round at the British championship at Conwy, and the most birdies in a round, with 10 at Golf National in Paris.

“There has been more consistency to my game. I am giving myself more chances to score birdies.”

Once the Curtis Cup is out of the way, the teenager, who lives near Hamburg in Germany where father Tim is a professional, will weigh up her options ahead of turning professional.

It all adds up to a potentially life-changing season for Florentyna, who has been a part of the England international set-up since the age of 13.

She has already taken the option to leave school a year early – although the way the education system is set up in Germany means she is not without qualifications should she choose to pursue a different sort of career in the future.

“I have had a good education and I can still carry on my studies with the qualifications I have got,” she said.

The 12 months ahead will help determine her immediate golfing future and she would love to follow brother Ben, a former England international too, into the professional ranks.

But while the men’s game has a number of rungs on the ladder for players to take part in a programme of tournaments, the women’s game has only the highest level for professionals to compete on, either in Europe, Asia or America.

Ben missed out on a playing card for the European Tour at the final stage of qualifying school, but has already played on the Challenge Tour, which serves as a stepping stone to the main tour and the EPD Tour.

“It is difficult for women to break into the professional ranks because there is nothing to fall back on, unlike the men’s game where there are other tours available,” she said.

“I have had a taste of what the tour qualifying schools are like after acting as Ben’s caddie in Spain so I have seen the pressure players are under.

“It is difficult not to put yourself under even more pressure because it is such a big deal. One week’s golf can determine how things go for the whole of the next year.”

Having grown up in Germany, Florentyna first came onto the radar of the England selectors when she won a Nick Faldo Junior Series final and took part in the Under-13 English Girls Championship.

With her family background, playing golf might have seemed a given for the young Florentyna, but she explains: “I started playing tennis when I was four and also table tennis, while I did not start playing golf until I was about nine.

“In the end I enjoyed the golf more, although I think the tennis has helped me. I enjoy matchplay, which is one against one, like tennis. But there is a lot more variety in golf, playing on different courses in different places and conditions. I think tennis also helped with the hand/eye co-ordination.”

Golf is enjoying something of a boom in Germany, as clubs become financially more accessible and adopt a forward-thinking approach to juniors.

“Golf in Germany was very expensive,” says Florentyna. “But it has started to become a lot more accessible. In the past it would be the older people who could afford to play who would be golfers, but now they are making it easier to pay. They are also encouraging clubs to run sessions for juniors.”

Meanwhile, Florentyna will concentrate on trying to sign off from the amateur game in style as she chases her golfing dreams.

“I have always wanted to try and make my living out of golf and there is always the option of teaching if I do not get into the tournaments,” she says.

She will continue her globe-trotting in Portugal this week while she has also been picked to play in the Nations Cup team and to defend her title in Paris.

She will also be heading to Australia in April to play for England against the host nation followed by the Australian Ladies Open Championship at Glenaig and the Australian Open Matchplay at Royal Adelaide.

Brother Ben made his mark at the 2008 EPD Tour opener in Turkey.

The Royal Birkdale-attached player finished second at the Sirene Classic in Belek, Turkey. He had rounds of 66,71,70 for a six-under-par total of 207 to pick up 2,375 euros. The event was won by Damian Ulrich on 14 under par.