Charlotte Naughton’s golfing career was already on an upward trajectory, but the teenager will hit fast forward.
That is because she is preparing to tee up in the AIG Women’s Open – the first major of her career.
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Still 18, Naughton only secured her spot at Royal Lytham & St Annes this week by virtue of winning the European Ladies Amateur Championship in Sweden on Sunday.
Now the young amateur heads to Lancashire to take her place alongside Charley Hull, Nelly Korda and the other star names of women’s golf when the tournament begins on Thursday.
“I’ve always dreamed about it,” Naughton told BBC Radio Newcastle. “I never really knew it would come this quick but I’m so happy and so proud to be able to play.”
She was the youngest member of the Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup team under the captaincy of Catriona Matthew that played the US in California last month.
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Naughton, who plays at Longhirst Hall near Morpeth in Northumberland, won the World Junior Girls Championship and was part of Europe’s Junior Ryder Cup team in New York in 2025, and earlier this year, she won the prestigious Junior Orange Bowl in Florida by seven strokes – something she shares on her CV with Tiger Woods.
But she describes the win in Sweden a few days ago as “the best achievement of my career” and with it comes the carrot of a spot in this 50th anniversary edition of the AIG Women’s Open.
Naughton hopes that competing up close with the elite of women’s golf will be a good barometer of what she needs to do to progress further.
“It’s a great opportunity to play against some of the best golfers in the world and see where my game stands against them,” she said.
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“It feels really cool to be able to play with people I look up to and aspire to be when I’m older.”
‘Play, prepare and handle emotions’
With her immediate future involving her heading to the University of Texas, the former college of men’s world number one Scottie Scheffler, there is little pressure on her at Lytham and no prize money at stake.
But she will use it as a valuable learning experience for when she eventually hopes to join the professional ranks.
“I’ll be able to learn how they play, how they prepare, and how they handle their emotions on the golf course,” she added.
“I’ll be really interested to see that.”
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