It’s a long time since I felt the nervousness and tension watching a scoreboard of a client in contention. Brings me back to the days when I managed Seve at the Ryder Cup he captained in Valderrama.
Today I watched a fearless young woman claw her way up the leaderboard to fulfil her lifelong dream and qualify for the LPGA Tour in the USA. Having been through 4 qualifying schools while struggling on the European Tour as a pro, it is hard to explain the degree of pressure you feel when you’re coming down the final stretch with your back to the wall and you know what you must do. It feels like life and death in a sports life with only failure lurking.
Lauren Walsh shot 32 on the back nine holes today, which included two birdies on the last three holes, to force herself above the chasing pack to finish in 17th position, two shots inside the cut-off point for the top 25 players. Only three players in the field bettered her score of 67. It was a heroic performance from a beautiful young person who has shown dedication and determination throughout her career to fulfil her dreams. She will join Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadows now as one of three players on the LPGA Tour.
Like Leona and Stephanie, Lauren’s dreams started when she was 10 years old, when she attended the 2011 Solheim Cup and Women’s Irish Opens at Killeen Castle and met her hero Lexi Thomson. She will now be playing against all her past heroes next year on the LPGA.
It couldn’t have happened to a nicer person – I’m so happy for her.
Roddy Carr / Forefront Sports
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