MAUREEN MADILL COLUMN: CHAMPIONS GALORE!
France’s Valentine Delon won The 123rd Women’s Amateur Championship after a hard-fought Final at Muirfield. (Photo: R&A)
GUEST COLUMN: BY MAUREEN MADILL
Well done Viktor Hovland – a winner for the eighth time on the PGA tour. Mind you, it took a Monday morning play-off against Scottie Scheffler before he could claim the Travelers Championship title and judging by the number of folks who turned up at TPC River Highlands for the 9am start there weren’t too many at work in Cromwell, Connecticut that morning.
Unfortunately for the crowds all they witnessed was a mere half dozen shots – two perfect drives, side by side, and then a stellar iron by world No 1 Scheffler into five feet, followed by Viktor in to around twelve feet. The Norwegian’s putt somehow fell in from the low right-hand side and then, rather unexpectedly, Homer nodded and we witnessed a Scheffler miss. And that was their lot – six, no, well, five of the best.
The home crowd was naturally supporting Scottie whose fourth runner-up spot this was this season, but Viktor had his own Viking cheerleading group fresh from World Cup duty in Boston and more importantly, his Mum was present to see him win for the first time. He’s obviously making a decent fist of being kinder to himself on the course and hopefully this result will encourage him to continue with that strategy.
VICTORY FOR VIKTOR
The Norwegian golfer went toe-to-toe with world number on Scottie Scheffler before winning the Travelers Championship on a Monday finish (Golf Channel)
As for Scottie, I don’t see anyone taking his Open title from him at Birkdale in a couple of weeks. He’s been threatening to move up from his “B” game for a while, and his timing looks good for another major. We shall see.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Haeran Ryu opened her major account by winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship by two shots from fellow countrywoman, Ina Yoon, who notoriously served a two-year suspension from the game a couple of years back for playing the wrong ball in a tournament and not declaring it at the time.
Ryu, however, has had no such glitches in her career, stepping up with ease from being the 2023 Rookie of the Year on the LPGA to now a major champ. Her coach’s advice, after her first round of 73 left her ten behind Yoon, was to trust herself, her swing and her caddy. She took that to heart, and it worked wonders freeing her up to play her best.
There were a number of very happy players at the conclusion of this major and, aside from the winner, none more so than Dewi Weber of the Netherlands who finished in joint third spot. Weber joined the LPGA tour in 2022 and last week’s cheque of north of $750,000 just about doubled her career earnings. It’s probably much too little and too late for her to catch the eye of European Solheim Cup captain, Anna Nordqvist……but the match IS in the Netherlands, so with a couple more good performances……You never know.
Canadian Brooke Henderson, who finished joint third with Weber, was equally happy – but for entirely different reasons. Her sister, Brittany, who caddied for her on tour for more than a decade, gave birth on Thursday morning to her first child, a daughter, named Sahalee after the venue where Brooke won the PGA title ten years ago. That’ll be a very joyful reunion.
While we were sweltering away here in Cheshire with soaring temperatures, it was strange to switch on to the Women’s Amateur at Muirfield and see that occasionally the competitors had to don fleeces and jackets – but that’s Scotland for you. The final, however, was played in warm but breezy conditions and what a wonderful test of golf these players faced in the changing winds.
France had their first winner of this great title since Celine Boutier in 2015 when Valentine Delon beat Spain’s Andrea Revuelta by 3 and 1 in the 36-hole final. She is the ninth French player to have her name inscribed on the old trophy. It is, however, France’s eleventh victory because the redoubtable Brigitte Varangot dominated in the 1960s, with three titles tucked under her belt.
Delon is no stranger to adversity, suffering from scoliosis and undergoing back surgery in 2019. Her long-term inspiration, however, has always been former US Solheim Cup captain and major winner Stacy Lewis, who faced similar challenges yet carved out a stellar professional career.
Over the years further inspiration for Valentine has come from one of her neighbours in Chantilly, namely the legendary Catherine Lacoste who has her name etched on many trophies worldwide including this one in 1969. How fitting that France’s newest champion should win on Lacoste’s 81st birthday.
“It’s amazing,” said Delon. “I don’t think it feels real right now but it’s just the best thing ever. I practised every day to be in this situation. It was really hard today. The conditions were really hard, but being the champion and putting my name on this trophy is amazing.”
Exciting times lie ahead for Valentine as she now receives invitations into the final two professional majors of the year, plus the Standard Portland Classic on the LPGA tour and then two further majors in 2027. If still amateur next April, she can add the Augusta National Women’s Amateur to her list.
Heavy duty appointments for anyone’s diary but I somehow feel she’ll be equal to them. What a difference a week makes.
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