A 10-YEAR-OLD girl from Bournemouth has qualified for the National Finals for the Wee Wonders Golf Championship in Scotland.

Imogen Stratman won the local qualifier at Sturminster Marshall Gold Club on June 18 and was tied for first place in the regional finals at Farrington Park Gold Club on July 13, meaning she booked her spot at the National Finals at Longniddry Gold Course on the weekend of August 24 and 25.

Darren Stratman, a professional golfer and coach himself, said: “Even though she is the coach’s daughter, I can safely say she gets probably the least amount of my time at training sessions.

“It is difficult when your dad's the coach. When we’re working on her swing, she still calls me 'dad'. Also watching her play, as frustrating as it is sometimes, you need to be there to support her."

Imogen, who has been playing golf for the last three years, trains at Ferndown Golf Course and is happy enough to go around the course by herself.

Darren said that, although the upcoming competition is a "massive deal", his daughter is still young, and he wants her to keep her options open.

“She has got so many other activities going for her and she’s still so young that we don’t want to tie her down to anything.

"As long as she’s happy doing what she does, I’ll be there to support her," he said.