Anna Foster bowed out of yesterday’s Women’s Amateur Championship quarter-final with her head held high and a renewed sense of belief that she can compete at the top level.
It brought an end to an excellent couple of weeks where she had won the Flogas Irish Women’s Open in Woodbrook before taking out world number nine Meja Ortengren on the 19th hole in Portmarnock and it has given her a timely confidence boost as she plots her path towards a professional career.
“I’m going to turn pro and go to Q-Series in the States and do LET Q-School later this year and see what happens there. It’s exciting, nerve wracking and everything really,” said the Elm Park star who embarked on her best run at the Women’s Amateur since making the last-32 in 2019 at Royal County Down.
It’s just under a year since Foster finished bottom of the leaderboard at the AIG Women’s Open on her major championship debut, an experience that would have stung. But on Friday she left Portmarnock believing that she can stand up and be counted among the elite.
“I think it’s more self-confidence and inner belief than anything else. It’s kind of the last like few weeks, I guess, has shown me that I am like a good player and I deserve to be where I am. It’s kind of a nice for me to be able to look back at the last two weeks and kind of say, well, good job, you did well.”
The 22-year-old Auburn University graduate will be determined to end her final year as an amateur on a high. Having already secured individual glory, the European Team Championships with Ireland in Spain present a realistic chance of more silverware.