It’s been a quite a year for amateur golf in Great Britain and we asked some our leading players what were their stand-out moments and also asked them to look ahead to 2022
‘Andy said ‘this is your shot; you are good at these’ so I just trusted him and my method and played a dream shot’
1) Your best round of the year and why?
The semi-final of the English Seniors at Market Rasen. This was always going to be a tricky match as I had to play Clarissa Bushell, a very close friend, with whom we had shared many holiday golf rounds, and family golf holidays together. Her husband is godfather to our second son Sam and, on paper, I should have won. All I remember is that my putter was hot. I holed 10 footers, 15 footers, 20 footers and even chips from off the green and the final score was 5&4, at which point I was three or four under par.
2) Your best shot of the year and why?
The 19th hole in the final of the English Seniors at Market Rasen. Having been 3up after three and 2up with three to play and seemingly always in the driving seat, I managed to lose two of the last three holes to be all square after 18. The first hole was a par five downhill, which I had hit two really good shots to be 15 yards short of the green but on a big hill as the green was raised. Jane Southcombe, my opponent, had about 100 yards left with her third shot to the green and completely thinned it. The ball looked like it was heading 50 yards through the back buried amongst tree and undergrowth, but it hit a pine tree behind the green and rebounded onto the green about 20 yards away from the hole.. My husband said to me ‘Get up and down here and its yours’. The shot I had was off a slope to a raised green with a two-tier green on which the pin was placed just at the top of the slope so very tricky. Andy said ‘this is your shot; you are good at these’ so I just trusted him and my method and played a dream shot with my wedge which pitched onto the green and just ran up the slope onto the top tier and came to rest about four feet right of the pin.
3) The best shot you saw and why?
It’s a close call between Bryson DeChambeau at the first at the Ryder Cup against Sergio Garcia when he hit his three wood 340 yards to 41 feet and then rolled in the putt for eagle. No one else had even got close with driver! However the shot I can relate to more was on the 18th at Ashridge on the final hole of the British Senior Ladies strokeplay when Aileen Greenfield needed a birdie on 18 to force a play-off with Cath Rawthore. She was 40 yards short of the green and in the rough with her second. The rough was hideous that week after the wet summer, and I had been fortunate enough to stay out of it all week until the last hole in the final round where it cost me a shot. Aileen played the most exquisite pitch shot to land on the green and roll up to the hole and 3-4ft past from where the putt was never in doubt! She went one to win the title on the first extra hole.
4) Your favourite moment of 2021 (this could be personal or something completely random but golf related)?
Holing the winning putt in the final of the English Seniors at Market Rasen. Having played a pitch shot I could have only dreamt about the job was not complete until the final putt was holed. After a lot of deliberation and measuring by the referee and my caddy it was decided it was my putt. The relief when the ball disappeared below ground level and excitement as I hugged my husband Andy was a moment I shall cherish. It was the first title I had won when he had been on the bag, and all the more special as he had lived through the torment of the last three years of my elbow injuries and doubt over whether I would ever be able to play again, never mind compete at this level.
5) Your hopes and ambitions for 2022?
To play a full season Covid and injury free.
6) One thing you would change about about golf for next season?
There are two:
• 1. The new handicap system: It’s terrible. It prevents low handicap amateurs being able to compete at club level as the higher handicaps are given so many extra shots on top of their handicaps, and it is open to far too much abuse. Category 1 players should only be able to return scores done in competition. Too many players are doing nine holes with their friends on an easy course on a benign day and as a result playing of artificially low handicaps, often preventing genuine low handicappers from making the draw at major championships.
• 2. The home internationals were a farce this year. It’s a lovely idea to have the different teams playing at the same venue at the same time but why the need to combine the ladies and men’s senior teams? They didn’t want to be playing with us and we didn’t want to be playing with them on the same team. Allow us to play with the proper number of players per team for our own titles. Four is a ridiculously small number of players for a national team. Let us go back to the old format please!