Liz Young reflected on the “great experience” of playing in the Women’s British Open, but was left to rue the impact of the weather on her chances.

The Brokenhurst Manor ace, pictured, finished in a tie for 63rd place at St Andrews, as she competed in the major championship for the first time as a professional.

At one stage, on the opening day, Young had been tied for the lead, but the infamous Scottish weather soon derailed her hopes of contending.

The 30-year-old ended up on the poor side of the draw in her second round, as the wind picked up around the Old Course on Friday afternoon.

Young dropped from four-under-par at the start of the day to one-under, but that was good enough to ensure she made the cut.

Saturday, however, brought the worst of the weather.

“I was in the 13th group out and, from the start, the course really was becoming unplayable,” said Young, who lost five shots in her first five holes. “Balls were oscillating on the fairways and on the greens.

“It wasn’t until I finished the 11th that they called in play for the day, and they didn’t scrap the round, so my 11 holes counted. Then it became pretty much impossible to catch the leaders.

“I had to get up Sunday morning to finish that round, and there really wasn’t any breeze at all.”

Young ended up with a five-over-par third-round of 77, before signing off with an 81.

“Once again, in the afternoon the wind picked up to the sort of speed it was on Friday afternoon,” she said.

“It’s just the luck of the draw. That’s what you get in golf.

“In the year, you get some good draws and bad draws – it was just a shame it was a major and I got the worst of it.”

While her finishing position might not have accurately reflected her performance, there were plenty of positives for Young to take from the week, notably her display in the opening round.

“It was a great experience, and playing with (world number four) Na Yeon Choi the first two days was really good,” she said.

“Shooting four-under was good. It got me some TV coverage, and playing with the leader after two rounds got me a bit more, so that was great.

“It was a great experience to be out there with the cameras and the crowds.”

Young heads to the Czech Republic this week for the Pilsen Masters.

Having achieved her aim of breaking into the top 200 of the world rankings – she is now 199th – Young hopes to be in the top 150 by the end of the season, while finishing in the top 30 of the Ladies’ European Tour money list, where she is currently 28th.

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