22-YEAR-OLD NORTHERN IRISH golfer Stephanie Meadow tees off at Women’s British Open at 6:41am tomorrow morning hoping to go two better than her opening professional appearances.

The Portrush golfer who moved to the United States with her family at the age of 14, finished third on her professional debut at the Women’s US Open in Pinehurst, three weeks ago. She followed that up with another third place at the European Ladies Masters. She rocketed up the leaderboard with a closing round of 63.

The following day, Monday 7 July, she qualified for the British Open after another impressive round at Southport and Ainsdale. Meadow, for her part, is determined not to make up the numbers at Royal Birkdale and has confidently claimed that she is there to win.

Stephanie Meadow has finished third and third in her opening bows as a pro. John Bazemore John Bazemore

Teeing off some 22 minutes later is a woman still taking in the glorious magnitude of her first Major win, a little over two weeks ago. Michelle Wie is just two years older than Meadow but has been in the spotlight ever since she represented the USA in the 2004 Curtis Cup.

Wie finished three shots clear of Meadow to capture her first Major title. The sense of euphoria has been ever-present since her 22 June triumph but it has not watered down the American’s desire to chase a second major title in Southport.

Wie said, “[Being a Major winner] is strange. I think the fact that I kind of did the whole New York thing, I realized that I actually did win it. There was no going around it. There was no acting like I didn’t. It was really cool.

I told Beth Ann [Nichols from Golf Weekly], I felt like a donut fresh out of the fryer, rolling around in the sugar.

“I let myself really bask in it for a few days and after that, I think that just because I won a major, it doesn’t mean that I’m going to play well in the future.  It doesn’t guarantee that I’m to win the British or win anything.”

The biggest threat for Wie and Meadow is Stacy Lewis. The defending champion and world number one has three tournament wins this season and tees off 11 minutes after the Northern Irishwoman.

“Coming in here I definitely like where my game is at,” said Lewis. “You have to adjust things and play different shots than you’re used to but other than that, the game is in good shape.”

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