Golden Ticket Masterclasses

On the 16 August 2021, 100 Golden Ticket-winning junior golfers will travel from across Scotland to the Angus coast, to take part in a special evening at Carnoustie Golf Links.

The juniors, who have won Golden Tickets over the course of a three-month long campaign, will be able to watch four of the world’s best golfers in an intimate Masterclass session on the Carnoustie practice range, as well as experience the 18th grandstand and an early peek at the spectator village,

Danielle Kang, Georgia Hall, Emily Kristine Pedersen and Catriona Matthew will all be on hand to showcase their skills in a long game and short game area, all part of an evening that will be shown on Sky Sports.

But who are the Golden Ticket winners, and how were they selected? Read below to find out!

On Tuesday 11 May across Scotland to the Championship begun. The first winner, Carnoustie member Kirsty Norrie, won her ticket in a challenge held at the club, and presented by Iona Stephen!

Since then, juniors have won their ticket through a variety of means, with local clubs from across Scotland offering different opportunities to their juniors.

Some juniors won their tickets through writing competitions, detailing what their club and the sport means to them, while others won through video submissions and poster design competitions.

A great deal more won through skills challenges and junior medals held at their local club, and a few even from mother and daughter challenges. Each junior will have the opportunity to be inspired by Heroes of the AIG Women’s Open on Monday 16 August. Here are a few snippets from juniors on why they love their game and the club.

Blair Empson, 8 years old, Braehead Golf Club
“I like being a junior because I like playing golf. Second, it’s fun to be a junior as you learn new stuff and how to play better. You also get to meet new people. I want to be able to beat my Daddy and hopefully become a Champion because I love golf”

Harris Callaghan, 8 years old, Braehead Golf Club
“Being a junior golfers means a lot to me. Playing golf a Braehead helps me get outside and socialise more. It has also helped me meet friends. I really enjoy how Braehead do all their competitions and training sessions. The older juniors have been a great help with showing an amazing example around the club and showing us golf etiquette.”

Sophia Honeyman, 15 years old, St Regulus Ladies Golf Club
“I want to inspire others to take up golf or at least give it a chance and not just assume it’s easy or that only older people play. I want to break the stereotype and help golf as a sport evolve.”

Verity Swift, 11 years old, St Regulus Ladies Golf Club
“One of the things I love about golf is that it is super friendly… I have really wanted to share how great golf is with my friends and I always encourage them to have a go. I really want to be a role model for girls younger than me and encourage them to start playing golf. I want to use my enthusiasm to show them that golf is for everyone.”

You can follow the action during the Masterclasses on @aigwomensopen on Instagram and through our Instagram Stories, and stay tuned for the full Masterclasses and behind the scenes content coming later this week on Sky Sports and aigwomensopen.com.

For a full list of Golden Ticket winners, including Blair, Harris, Sophia and Verity, click here!