Louise Duncan

Louise Duncan has taken Carnoustie by storm this week, mounting a strong challenge for the AIG Women’s Open title as a 21-year-old amateur.

We bring you five things you need to know about the breakout star of the Championship.

• Duncan is a product of West Kilbride Golf Club on Scotland’s west coast, where she has received coaching from club professional Iain Darroch.

• An R&A Scholar and University of Stirling student, Duncan has also benefited from the guidance of Dean Robertson, the University’s High Performance Golf Coach who is also serving as her caddie this week. Robertson is a former European Tour winner.

• Duncan qualified for the AIG Women’s Open in June when she triumphed at the Women’s Amateur Championship. Her win was particularly notable for two reasons. She recorded the largest winning margin in the Championship’s history, beating Jóhanna Lea Lúđvíksdóttir by 9&8, and also became the first Scot to win the Women’s Amateur since Alison Rose in 1997.

• Duncan has enjoyed a rapid rise in recent months. Prior to her Women’s Amateur success, her World Amateur Golf Ranking was 370. It is currently 133 but set to rise significantly in the wake of this week’s performance.

• She has another huge week ahead of her immediately after the AIG Women’s Open. Duncan will be part of Great Britain and Ireland’s Curtis Cup team at Conwy next week. Team-mates Annabell Fuller and Lauren Walsh have also made the cut at Carnoustie this week.