A Ponteland High School student has impressed at the St Rule Trophy at St Andrews Links.

Charlotte Naughton, 16, brought home The Lawson Trophy for the top under-18 player after a top-notch performance that saw her finishing second on Sunday, despite being a staggering 13 shots ahead of her nearest rival.

Ms Naughton played a blistering -13 over three rounds, finishing a mere two shots behind the overall winner, Elice Fredriksson of Sweden.

The tournament was a chance for Ms Naughton to showcase her golfing skills and compete for the title.

Speaking about her performance, Ms Naughton said: "I played in the tournament the year before and did okay but it was another great experience, especially playing the Old Course on Sunday.

"The leader birdied the 1st and there was a two-shot swing quite early on and from then I caught her a little bit but it wasn’t quite enough."

Ms Naughton strived to keep up with Ms Fredriksson, but despite her best efforts, she didn't quite manage to overtake her.

Nonetheless, she expressed satisfaction with her performance, saying: "But if someone told me beforehand I’d come 2nd, I’d have been over the moon, so I am pleased.

"I did shoot -5 and trying to catch Elice was going to be difficult but I did play well so I guess I couldn’t do much more.

"Coming into the event I knew there was an U18 trophy so that was one of my main goals.

"It’s nice to win that and it’s now sat in my trophy cabinet in my lounge!"

Even as her trophy took pride of place in her lounge, there was no rest for Ms Naughton as she is also in the thick of her GCSEs, with several important exams around the corner.

The young golfer revealed: "We went straight back home, saw my family and then I tried to get some revision done.

"I had Maths and Sports exams on Monday so I had to cram it in!"

Ms Naughton has her sites set on more success with the English U18 at Hesketh along with the English U16 Championship at Tandridge.

She hopes to represent England more in international events such as the Europeans, Home Internationals and the Junior Masters in Slovakia.

Her long-term goal is to pursue a golf scholarship at an American university after completing Sixth Form.