Local knowledge

Darcey Harry knows Royal Porthcawl better than anyone else in the field this week – but even she has never seen it quite like this.

The arrival of the AIG Women’s Open, the biggest women’s sporting event ever to take place on Welsh soil, has transformed a place Harry is used to seeing as tranquil into the centre of the golfing world for the coming days.

The 22-year-old has been a Royal Porthcawl member for six years but claims never to have scored a round here – instead opting to play nine holes or have a more relaxed 18 holes with her dad.

But she does boast a local knowledge which will be the envy of many and hopes to use it to her advantage.

“Already it's been pretty incredible being here,” she said. “It doesn't really feel like it's at home because there's so many people here and usually Porthcawl is very quiet.

“You can always get out on the golf course, and there's not really usually many people out here.

“Today there's just so many people. It's kind of nerve-racking, I have to say.

“The whole setup is way bigger than I ever thought. Everything is amazing: The players' dining area, the clubhouse is fantastic, the food is absolutely phenomenal, and the bolognese, which is my favourite meal, is amazing.

“It's hopefully going to be a good week. Whatever happens, it will be so nice to finally play a competition on my home golf course.

“There's actually a few tee boxes I've never played off, which was actually quite surprising yesterday going out and playing the course. It was like, 'oh, I never knew this was here'.

“The greens are a bit quicker than I'm used to, and the course is definitely playing a lot longer than I've ever played. So it's going to be a real big challenge.

“But there's a lot of lines off tees I think are quite crucial to know where you've got to hit it to get in the best places. I think that will definitely be an advantage.”

Harry does not have to look far for experience in dealing with the nerves that come with teeing off in a major.

Her boyfriend, 2024 Amateur Champion Jacob Skov Olesen, will be her caddie in South Wales just a fortnight on from competing in The 153^rd Open at Royal Portrush – just as he was when Harry won the Hulencourt Women’s Open in Belgium to punch her Porthcawl ticket.

Olesen surged to the top of the leaderboard in his first round in Northern Ireland but two tee shots going out of bounds on the 1^st tee on Friday left him playing catch-up, though he did make the cut.

The pair have discussed the Dane’s Open experience and Harry is looking forward to having him close at hand.

“I kind of always knew I wanted him on the bag,” she said.

“I think this week is definitely going to be one of the most nerve-racking weeks for me. I need someone on the bag that's going to make me laugh and take my mind off more of the distractions. I definitely think that was the best decision.

“It was really nice to see him beat so many players on that first day. The second day, he had a really nerve-racking tee shot and kind of made a mess of the 1st hole. He spoke to me about it, and I've learned a lot from it.

“We've spoken of the game plan and learned from what he was challenged with last week, or two weeks ago. It's stay out of those pot fairway bunkers and just play as safe as possible, really try to hit as many fairways. It's the goal for this week.”

Harry gets her Championship underway at 12.21pm on Thursday alongside Jennifer Kupcho and Georgia Hall.

The home favourite is particularly looking forward to playing alongside Hall, citing her 2018 triumph in this competition as ‘inspirational’, while her mindset coming into the week was reminiscent of Rory McIlroy ahead of his own homecoming at Portrush, with enjoyment paramount.

“I want to try and make sure there's a smile on my face 24/7,” she said.

“I don't think a major will ever get to be played on my home course ever again, so really appreciate the moment I'm getting here and just appreciate all the fans coming out. I don't get it very often.

“I need to take it all in and learn a lot. It's going to be a really big learning week for me. It would be great to make the cut, great to try and give it my best go and see what I can do.”