Do you know that in the Chinese zodiac cycle, it’s now the year of the rooster? Of course you cock-a-doodle-do. And on that appallingly cornball note, feel free to stop reading. Beth Allen, meanwhile, is hoping it’s a year of a different sort. “I watched Roger Federer winning at 35 the other day and I thought ‘maybe it’s the year of the 35-year-old?',” said the Edinburgh-based Californian golfer who is of a similar vintage to the resurgent Swiss tennis player.

In a golfing world jam-packed with bright young things, Allen is not quite ready for the concessionary fares and cheap lunches at the Day Centre just yet but clambering the brae on the age front does have its advantages. “I do feel like a veteran but in a good way,” said last year’s European No 1. “Of course, it’s hard to ignore the young players coming through. The winners have been outrageously young. But it’s important to celebrate the older winners. Look at Roger in tennis? Being at bit older, I know what to expect, I know what the lifestyle on the tour is like and I’m much, much more patient that I was say 10 or so years ago. Obviously, you have to work that bit harder to actually make the process of the golf swing work for you. I’m working with a new trainer on the physical side of things with a view t helping my longevity. I’m lucky, I’ve never had any injuries and I just want to make sure my body can last the course so I can emulate someone like Catriona (Matthew) who is still competitive in her late-40s.”

After the best season of her career in 2016, which saw her top the Ladies European Tour’s order of merit and earn an LPGA Tour card at the qualifying school, Allen’s efforts have been rewarded with an invitation into the impressive stable of global campaigners who are backed by Aberdeen Asset Management.

In 2017, Allen will be juggling competition on two circuits as she makes a big push for the US Solheim Cup team. While action on a variety fronts will make for an eventful and exacting campaign, the adopted Scot is hoping it will be business as usual as she aims to build on last year’s successes. “I’m aware that the expectations levels surrounding me have probably gone up but it’s something you have to manage,” she added. “All golfers probably struggle with it at some point but I’m not one for setting goals that are beyond my reach and I don’t worry about what others expect of me. I just want to keep getting better but I stick to my daily routines and stay in the present. You can’t look too far ahead in this game.”

Allen’s profile has certainly enjoyed a boost over the last couple of years. Even the woman who does her nails in a salon on Leith Walk is taking notice. “She’s now my biggest fan,” chortled Allen. The plaudits have come from far and wide, with her win in Abu Dhabi last November earning a pat on the back from that decorated golden oldie, Gary Player. “Gary Tweeted me when I won with a congratulations message,” she said. “When I was first out on tour, never in a million years would I have thought I would get those kind of messages.”

From her earlier struggles on tour in her native America, Allen has now firmly established herself and is relishing the prospect of another crack at the lucrative LPGA Tour. “A lot of my friends who have known me since I was first playing over there in 2005 have said ‘we always knew you had it in you’,” said Allen, who will get her season underway Down Under at next week’s Victoria Open on the Ladies European Tour followed by the LPGA’s Australian Open. “That’s nice to hear and means a lot. They seem to be happy I’m doing well. People don’t have to say that. We are all competing against each other, it’s a very individual game and people don’t have to go out of their way to be happy for anyone. I appreciate the support. It feels good.”

For Allen, life continues to be good.