With the brilliance of Lydia Ko, controversy at the Solheim Cup and an abundance of spectacular golf, 2015 has certainly not been short of drama. We take a look back.
With the brilliance of Lydia Ko, controversy at the Solheim Cup and an abundance of spectacular golf, 2015 has certainly not been short of drama. Here we take a look back at the year's highlights.
Lydia Ko's Dominance
Teenage swinging sensation, Lydia Ko has taken the world by storm this season. Already the most accomplished young golfer in history, this year has seen the New Zealander capture her first major championship, second consecutive CME Globe as the top LPGA golfer of the year and secure five wins on the LPGA Tour. If that wasn’t enough Ko has endeared herself both to her fellow players, and pretty much the rest of the world, with her humble nature and humorous social media updates.
This Girl Golf's Campaign
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In a year in which the golf industry continues to grapple with the best way to increase golf participation, England Golf hit the mark with the compelling video campaign ‘This Girl Golfs’. The video, which includes tour star Charley Hull and BBC presenter Naga Munchetty, is designed to demonstrate that their are no barriers to girls and women taking up the game.
Nottinghamshire Crowned County Champions
Nottinghamshire were crowned England Women’s County Champions for the first time. The county triumphed in their first appearance at the county finals since 2000, winning all five of their matches to take the title by a four-point margin from second placed Sussex.
Solheim Cup
The 2015 Solheim Cup was certainly not short of drama. Tears, arguments, rules controversies and an incredible comeback by the Americans means the event at Golf Club St Leon-Rot, Germany, will long be remembered, if not for all the right reasons!
Taking a 10-6 lead into the final afternoon singles matches the Europeans looked set to regain the trophy. The Americans, however, had other ideas! Fuelled by a controversial decision by Suzanne Petterson to claim the seventeenth hole after her American opponent, Alison Lee, had picked up her ball before it had been conceded in a pivotal morning foursomes match, the Americans roared back into life. Following an afternoon of spectacular golf, the visitors would silence the large home crowd to win the match by 14 ½ points to 13 ½ and secure the greatest comeback in Solheim Cup history.
Leona Maguire Achieves World Domination
Irish twin Leona Maguire has had a spectacular season in 2015, which has included winning the Mark H McCormack Medal as the leading women’s player in the 2015 World Amateur Golf Ranking and finishing second at the ISPS Handa Ladies European Masters.
The 20-year-old, who attends Duke University in North Carolina, has won also had a great year on the American college season, winning the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, the ACC Championship and the NCAA South Bend Regional. In May, she received the 2015 ANNIKA Award as the best golfer in American women’s college golf.
We can't wait to see what Leona's got up her sleeve for 2016.
R & A Reveal First Women Members
Since the R & A voted in September 2014 to allow women to become members of their prestigious club, we'd been eargerly waiting to find out who the lucky ladies would be. In February the R&A unveiled seven honorary women members and revealed that seven other women had already joined via an accelerated admissions process. The new members included the Princess Royal, Dame Laura Davies (pictured above) and Annika Sorenstam.
RICOH Women's British Open
The 2015 Women's Ricoh British Open at Trump Turnberry is likely to be best remembered for the torrential weather which made scoring at times almost impossible. Twenty-year old South Korean Jin Young Ko managed to defy the gales for much of the tournament despite never having played links golf before, but eventually couldn't hold off the charge of compatriot Inbee Park who swept to victory with a course record equalling 65 to secure the trophy and join the exclusive club of ladies to have won a career grand slam. Brits Amy Boulden and Mel Reid both put in strong performances to both finish inside the Top 10.
