Isle of Man golf star Ana Dawson planted the Manx flag at the very top of the leaderboard in North Wales in the Faldo Series at Rhuddlan Golf Club in Rhyl last week.

Following a solid opening round of one over par, Ana sprinted clear of the field in round two with a flawless round of 66 – eight under par – which included five consecutive birdies and shattered the course record.

A steady closing round of one over par was enough to ensure that she not only won her girls under-21 category by an impressive 10 strokes, but also claimed the overall event by a single shot, beating all of the boys in the process.

Hailing from Peel, Ana attended the University of Memphis in America between 2018 and 2022 on a golf scholarship.

She showed great promise in her freshman and sophomore years before Covid interrupted the college golfing calendar in 2020.

But she returned to the UK to great effect this year, winning the Comboy Scratch event including another course record, as well as top-five finishes in three other England order of merit and UK national tournaments.

In addition, she has received invitations to compete in a number of professional events, posting very respectable finishes against some seasoned pros, including in the Rose Series at West Lancashire in April where she finished tied 15th out of a field of 50, securing the top amateur spot.

Ana’s latest victory in Wales means that she has qualified for the end-of-season finale to be held in the UAE in early November.

This will see her tee it up against winners of each of the international Faldo Series events with the chance to claim the overall title and provide her with another great opportunity to put the Isle of Man firmly on the international golfing map.