Gabriella Cowley insists it is going to be an honour to welcome in a new era of golf for Great Britain at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival.
With the sport set to return to the Olympic programme at Rio 2016, Britain will be represented in golf for the first time since the Paris 1900 Games.
And, ahead of this senior participation in four years time, Cowley is one of ten golfers set to play for Team GB Down Under in Sydney.
The 16-year-old arrived in Australia having been crowned Scottish under-16 champion, as well as winning the girls’ title at the North of England Under-16 Championships.
Cowley was also in England’s winning teams at the girls’ and ladies’ Home Internationals and she admits the chance to set the ball rolling ahead of Rio in Sydney will live long in her memory.
“It is a great opportunity to play in such a big competition,” said Cowley. “With this being the first time in over 100 years that golf is part of an Olympic competition I am really pleased to be a part of it, making history, I am really looking forward to it.
“I have been playing golf for four years and when I started I never once thought that I would be representing Britain and at a competition like this.
“Representing England is great but after the summer we had with the London 2012 Olympics representing Britain and carrying all that on will be fantastic and I am really looking forward to it.”
Britain’s golfers will begin their campaign at the Twin Creeks Club on Thursday but Cowley isn’t making any bold predictions as to what she will achieve Down Under.
“I haven’t really got a specific target in mind for out in Australia, I just want to try my best and see what happens,” she added.
“Whatever happens, it will be a big learning experience and I just want to take away as much as I can.”
© Sportsbeat 2013