14-year-old Abigail's first professional competition saw her get the same score as Ryder Cup winner Jamie Donaldson and LET player Carly Booth. She tells Women & Golf why being the youngest player on a field of mainly men didn't phase her...
Image: Pete Eccles
As the youngest player to take part in the mixed-gender 2020protour event at Cleckheaton, facing a field of experienced Ladies European Tour and European Tour players, junior Abigail Taylor was understandably nervous as she stepped up to the first tee.
But in fact, she had no need to worry at all.
Not only did the the 14-year-old Yorkshire junior take her first professional competition her stride, she also finished with the same score as Ryder Cup winner Jamie Donaldson and world-renowned Scottish star Carly Booth.
Incredible, right?
Now, we already knew that mixed events like the 2020protour would help prove that female golfers are just as talented (and as entertaining to watch) as the men, but this amazing achievement has really left us speechless.
Perhaps most astonishing of all is how modest Abigail was when we caught up her just days after the tournament.
14-year-old us would be bragging about it to anyone who listened, but Abigail remained cool, calm and collected.
"I think I had built it up to be a lot more scary than it actually was," she said.
"I was nervous on the first tee but once I started I was concentrating on my processes so much that I wasn't as scared as I thought I would be. I really enjoyed it and it was so good for me to play with two professionals and see how my game compared to theirs."
The age difference between herself and the majority of the players clearly didn't phase her either...
"I was a bit worried about being the youngest player out there but actually it didn't make that much difference, " she said.
"All my life I've been playing with people who are older than me so I'm used to it."
The 2020protour is the brainchild of European Tour star Chris Hanson and it sees both men and women play for the same prize money and on the same terms.
The only difference is that the women's tees are placed closer to the pin.
"Chris made us all feel really welcome," she noted.
"I wouldn't say that being a girl puts you at a disadvantage in golf, but mentally it can be intimidating to be playing against a lot of boys who you know can hit it really far. But the way they did it seemed fair as our holes were 11 percent shorter and that put me at ease."
"I think there were only about 12 to 13 women playing in the whole thing. I've kind of grown up with that though as in all the mixed events I play in there are normally more boys than girls, so I don't mind it too much."
When asked about her score Abigail is almost reluctant to admit the serious bragging rights she's earned.
"For the first seven holes I was one under and I made a few silly mistakes," she said.
"But I was really happy with my end score, especially when I found out it was the same as Jamie Donaldson and Carly Booth.
"Jamie played in the group in front of me and Meghan MacLaren was in the one before him so I spoke to both of them on the putting green before we played. They were both really encouraging and nice to me."
She's also in agreement with our theory that golf should have more professional mixed events.
"It's more fair when everyone has a chance to win the same money," she said.
"It's a positive step forward for golf and we can all learn a lot from playing with the men. Chris did a really good job getting it going."
Abigail enjoyed it so much that she's going straight in and competing in the next 2020protour event at Oulton Hall on June 15.
"I feel far more mentally prepared for the next one," she said.
"I just hope I can better my score. Obviously there isn't much competitive golf around at the moment so it's really nice to have the chance to get out and play and put my warm up routine into practice and things."
Like many of us, Abigail's love for golf was passed on from a parent.
"My dad has been a member at Headingley for 30 years, so I was around golf a lot when I was younger and whenever I picked up a club hitting a ball just seemed to come easily to me. So I was practicing without knowing it really. I've been playing properly for three years and now I make sure I practice every day, if I don't I just stress about it.
"I want to go to college in American and then hopefully I can play on the LPGA. That's the end goal but before then I just want to do well at school."
Even during lockdown she remained dedicated to working on her game...
"We had a net built in the back garden so I could do a lot of chipping drills and also a lot of putting," she explained.
"So I found that when I went back out on the course my start line was much more accurate, it actually helped me a lot."
We have a good feeling that this won't be the last time we write about this talented young golfer.
For more information about the 2020protour visit www.2020protour.co.uk.
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