37th annual Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle
When: Friday through Sunday.
Where: Hillcrest Golf Club, 20002 N. Star Ridge Drive, Sun City.
Field: 112 competitors between the ages of 13-23.
Format: 54 holes of stroke play.
Tee times: 8:30 a.m. each day.
East Valley players in field: Scottsdale: Katie Allare, Taylore Karle, Ashley McKenney, Lauren Weaver, Lindsey Weaver; Mesa: Ashley Malaska, Daffodil Sanchez, Kristen Schelling; Paradise Valley: Brooke Todare, Margarita Ramos, Kaira Martin; Gilbert: Shelby Phillips; Maricopa: Sehee Kim.
Information/scoring: www.azsilverbelle.com.

        By the time Carly Booth was 15, she had conquered pretty much all of her beloved Scotland when it came to the sport of girls’ golf. In fact, the lovely lass who hails from the village of Comrie near the Scottish Highlands already had gone to the next level with her victory earlier this year in the European Young Masters.
        Booth still is just 15, but with the help of her Mesa-based instructor, Mike Malaska,  she has turned her attention to a new arena – America. Booth will get a chance to prove she is “the next Michelle Wie,’’ as Malaska insists, when the 37th annual Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle Championship takes place Friday through Sunday at Hillcrest Golf Club in Sun City.
        “America is lots of fun. I like it a lot,’’ said Booth, who is attending Red Mountain High School and living with the Malaskas, which includes Mike’s 17-year-old daughter, Ashley, who like Booth is a talented teen golfer.
        “The last tournament I played in was in Dubai in October. So this one (the Silver Belle) will be my first real tournament in the States.’’
        Booth was discovered by Dick Hyland, the president of Scottsdale-based Lyle Anderson Golf LTD. Hyland was at one of Anderson’s foreign properties, the Dundonald Course at Loch Lomond in the heartland of Scotland, when he witnessed Booth’s victory at the Duke of York Girls’ Championship.
        “She was only 14 at the time, but I noticed almost right away that this little girl was quite a player,’’ Hyland related. “While I was there, I also met her father, Wally, who was a former wrestling champion and coach, and he filled me in on Carly’s quick progress in golf, how she had once worked with (David) Leadbetter, and how she wanted to get more out of her game.’’
         So when Hyland returned stateside, he told Anderson and Malaska about Booth. All three concurred that she should come to Arizona and learn under Malaska, play and practice at Anderson’s Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club in the East Valley, and ultimately seek out the best competition in the world.
         “She is extremely capable, and her dad has taught her how to win,’’ Hyland pointed out. “Carly’s not just a great player at age 15, she’s a great kid to be around, too.’’
          Malaska certainly thinks so, and he’s worked with some talented players like Sydnee Michaels, Margarrita Ramos, Julie Yang, Daffodil Sanchez and his own daughter Ashley, whose game is so strong that she gave up a stellar softball career for a golf scholarship to the University of Arizona.
          “I’ve watched all the girls play, and I’ve watched Michelle (Wie) play, too,’’ Malaska said. “All I can say is, Carly is a better player at 15 than Michelle was at 15.
           “Carly has a better short game and is comparable off the tee. But it’s no contest from 50 yards and in, as Carly is much better. And Carly has those ‘intangibles’ you can’t teach like a big heart and a bulldog personality.’’
             At 5-foot-6 inches Booth is shorter than Wie, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, Malaska added. “She’s a lot stronger than Michelle, and she’s got the looks that could rival Natalie Gulbis.’’
            Booth is much more humble when discussing her potential. Sure, she won her first tournament at age 11, once shot 9-under-par 64, and even made a couple of holes-in-one “but none in competition just yet.’’ As for how many titles she has compiled, “I quit keeping track,’’ she said with a laugh.
            Certainly, there is no pressure at the Silver Belle, which is open to girls and young women ages 13 to 23. “I’ve played in more ladies’ tournaments than girls’ tournaments, so I’m sure I can handle it,’’ Booth said.
             Down the road looms the big carrot, as Booth hopes to qualify in March for the LPGA Safeway International at her “home away from home course.’’ According to Malaska, Booth told him she would love to go head-to-head with Wie in the qualifier at Superstition Mountain with the winner earning the spot in the tournament.
            Booth, however, is way too focused to toss that challenge towards the media.
            “I’m going to try the qualifier, and if I can shoot a decent round that would be great,’’ she said. “But as far as ‘great expectations,’ I don’t really think about that.
             “I’m just myself. I play golf, and I have fun playing golf.’’
             Fortunately, it’s still that simple for a young girl who just might be a budding superstar.