Alison Coffey has become the Irish golfing equivalent of US Tour star David Duval. There was a time when it looked as if the 25year-old Belfast-based engineer would never get her hands on a championship trophy - but, now, she just can't stop winning!

Last month, the Irish international captured her first `major' title when taking the Leinster Championship at The K Club and, last week, Coffey continued her rich vein of form by landing the Ulster Championship at Rockmount, beating Emma Dickson by a 3 and 2 margin in the final.

Coffey's much-improved form has made her set new targets for herself. Ultimately, her aim is to claim a place on the British and Irish Curtis Cup panel, although she claims her current run of form has possibly come too late to force her way into this year's plans for the match against the United States at Minikahda in Minnesota next August. Instead, her objective is to make the squad for the match in 2000.

"I just seemed to drift through last year," she said. "So, I decided to change my attitude this season and I started out determined to win a few championships." The impact has been immense - apart from winning the Leinster and Ulster crowns, Coffey also put in a brave bid in the Scottish Women's Open Strokeplay at Royal Troon (which was sandwiched between the two Irish events) where she finished second.

Coffey's win in Leinster - where she beat fromer Curtis Cup player Lillian Behan in the final - got her season off to a terrific start. However, her heart was set on finally winning the Ulster title, given that she'd been beaten in the final on three occasions: by Vari McGreevy once, and by Laura Webb twice. As things transpired, Coffey recorded a win over Webb in the quarter-final last week on her way to claiming the championship.

And Coffey, who works with the Roads Authority in Belfast, has a busy few weeks ahead as she attempts to maintain her fine form. Next week, she continues her quest for glory in the Lancome Irish Women's Close Championship at Clandeboye and, then, she'll compete in the British Open Amateur Championship at Little Aston where her aim is "to reach the semi-finals, or better".

The first part of that double championship assault is the Irish close in Clandeboye and, remarkably, she has never played the course. "However, I intend to rectify that later this week by getting in a practice round," she said.