Maggie Whitehead named U16 champion ahead of Home International

She finished the competition on the third day seven under-par, after being down to North Hants golfer Gemma Burgess during rounds one and two.

It was wet and windy in Morecambe and Whitehead's mum, Nicola, thinks this only bolstered her chances.

She said: "Her dad and I said 'go out there, do your thing and be patient.'

"As you know, it can be little bit brutal in the North East so we purposefully train in the horrible weather.  In the Morecambe conditions she came into her element.

"She goes out to Ramside [near Durham] sometimes when it's especially bad weather just to train for scenarios like this.

"She said the night before 'I’m going to win this,' and she doesn’t say that often!

The Close House golfer broke the course record earlier in July as she won the Ladies Club Championship.

She didn't have much time to celebrate her victory, however, as she immediately had to travel to Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire to take part in the Home International between England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, which runs August 4-6.

Her mum was gushing with pride:  "When she held that trophy up as the best in the country, that's when we knew it had all been worth it."

It hasn't always been easy.  Nicola is a district nurse in the NHS and her dad, Andrew, is regional manager for a drinks wholesale company.  Over the years, it has been hard to balance their jobs with their daughters sporting achievements.

"I now work three days but it's three days too many.  I had to cut back on my hours when the travelling got really crazy.  It's up and down the country every week.  Her dad still works full-time.

"We travelled three hours here [Woodhall Spa] yesterday, three hours back and then back here again today.

"My brain is a bit frazzled."

She doesn't find it a chore, however.  Days like last Friday are what the family has dreamed of for a long time.

"Today I’ve seen a photo with the blazers and the neckscarves and I thought ‘today, she’s done it.'  This is when it's all sunk in.

"It’s absolutely immense, a lot of people feel sorry for us and say it must be hard work but it’s not a chore.  This is our life and our livelihood.

"Me and Andrew believe that the sole reason we are on this planet is to help Maggie achieve her dreams.  We will do everything in our power to help her gets to where she wants."

Nicola recalls a time when she first started playing golf.

"She started playing competitively when she was 7 or 8 and I remember we saw a post of the England squad

She said: “mam, that will be me one day.”

She finished: "Thank you to everybody, every day to all of the people that are helping us.  I want to do more but what else can you do but say thanks.  We’re so lucky to have the team around us that we have."