Jessie Valentine
Jessie Valentine (née Anderson) MBE (1915–2006) was a Scottish amateur golfer who won the British Ladies Amateur in 1937, 1955 and 1958.[1] In 1937, after winning the British Ladies title at Turnberry she was the world number one ranking ladies golfer.[2] In 1959, Valentine was the first woman golfer to be appointed as an MBE for services to golf[1] and was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.[3]
Career
Jessie Anderson was born in Perth, Scotland in 1915.[2] Her father was for some time the professional at Craigie Hill Golf Club in Perth.[2] She started playing golf aged five and was a Scottish Ladies semi-finalist at the age of seventeen.[2] Within a year she won the British Girls Championship.[2]
In 1935, Valentine became the New Zealand Ladies Champion and the following year the French Ladies Champion.[1] She was a member of the Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup team in 1936.[1] Famously holing a 60 ft putt on the 18th hole at Gleneagles to secure a win and help the team tie with the United States.[2] She represented Great Britain & Ireland in the Curtis Cup seven times between 1936 and 1958.[1]
Valentine won her first British Ladies title at Turnberry in 1937 beating Dorothy Park (daughter of the famous Willie Park, Jnr from Musselburgh, Scotland) 6&4 in the final.[4] In 1938 she won the first of her six victories in the Scottish Ladies Amateur Golf Championship and retained the title in 1939.[4] Between 1939 and 1945 she did not compete due to the Second World War.[2]
Valentine won the Scottish Ladies Amateur in 1951, 1953, 1955 and 1956.[1] In 1955, she won her second British Amateur title at Royal Portrush having been runner up in 1950.[1] Valentine won the British Amateur title for the third and final time at Hunstanton Golf Club, Norfolk in 1958, her third final in four years.[4] In 1960, at the age of 45, Valentine turned professional.[2]
Notable wins
- British Ladies Amateur – 1937, 1955, 1958.[1]
- Scottish Ladies Amateur – 1938, 1939, 1951, 1953, 1955, 1956.[1]
- New Zealand Ladies – 1935.[1]
- French Ladies – 1936.[1]
Awards
- Appointed a Member of The Order of the British Empire for services to golf.[1]
- Awarded the Frank Moran Trophy in 1967 for the 'Scot who has done most for the game of golf'.[1]
- Inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Jessie Valentine". Sport Scotland. 2003. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Jessie Valentine World No 1 and three-times holder of the British Ladies' title". The Herald. 11 April 2006. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- ↑ "Jessie Valentine". Sport Scotland - Scottish Sports Hall of Fame. 2003. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- 1 2 3 "Jessie Valentine". BBC. November 2005. Retrieved 26 July 2013.