Is there a legacy at all?

Becky Brewerton questions the Ryder Cup effect in Wales

A question of sport: Wales’ leading lady golfer shared her anger at the cancelation of Welsh tour events

In 2011, for the first time in a decade, Wales was void of a Ladies European Tour event. Just three months after Graeme McDowell holed the putt to win the Ryder Cup for Europe at Celtic Manor, it was announced that the decision had been taken to cancel the Wales Ladies Open Golf Championship of Europe, as well as the Wales Challenge and the Senior Wales Open – events that had been pivotal to Celtic Manor’s winning bid.

For the nation’s leading female professional, Becky Brewerton, it was a hard decision to stomach.

“When I first saw the schedule, I was absolutely distraught and really angry,” said Brewerton, in an exclusive interview.

“When you look at the amount of Welsh lady golfers there are on tour, you’re looking at a strong basis. It’s very difficult to take, because we all felt that we played a part in making it successful. I think that between all of us we’ve performed well enough to think that it would still be worth investing in.”

In the Ryder Cup year, the 2010 S4C Wales Ladies Championship of Europe at Conwy Golf Club was the tenth staging of the tournament, with the biggest prize fund to date. It also saw a record number of Welsh entrants, with a dozen players competing for their home championship. That number included Brewerton and four Welsh amateurs. In Brewerton’s opinion, the event’s cancelation will have negative consequences beyond the professional game.

“One of the reasons I think I adapted so well, so quickly to life on tour was the fact that I got to play in the Welsh Open as an amateur three times,” said the 28-year-old from Abergele. “That’s another reason it’s frustrating the tournament has gone. It was a great opportunity for the amateurs to give themselves a lift up into the professional game.

“To have these events for so many years in the build-up to the Ryder Cup and with the amount that was invested in Welsh golf, as soon as the Ryder Cup’s gone it’s been almost like ‘Right, that’s it. The last putt’s made on the Sunday, and then the ladies event is gone’.”

Ryder Cup Wales (RCW) have been pivotal in hosting Wales only LET event. Created to maximise the benefits of the 2010 Ryder Cup, RCW had co-operated with the Welsh Assembly and the LET in staging the annual ladies tournament. However, with the announcement that the event would be cancelled coming not long after the Ryder Cup crowds at Celtic Manor had dispersed, Brewerton has questioned the longevity of their commitment to Welsh golf.

“If someone is saying the Ryder Cup will have a legacy and then as soon as the Ryder Cup’s over you lose a tournament like that, quite a big event on tour, you think ‘Well, what legacy is there? Is there a legacy at all?'”

“From a selfish point of view I care that there’s no event, but I think losing a ladies event will have a knock-on effect on the grassroots and a lot of other things. The whole reason that we’ve got so many pros now from Wales on tour is because of what happened there. It’s a shame to think that now we’re going backwards.”

The absence of a Welsh event on tour has also robbed Brewerton and her compatriots of the chance to fulfil a lifelong ambition by winning their national championship.

“I’m not sure what the prospects are of it ever returning, but one of my goals for my life was to win my home championship and now I haven’t got a home tournament. I just can’t believe it.”

Brewerton is at the fulcrum of a host of emerging and already established Welsh lady golfing stars. World cup partner Becky Morgan has played on the LPGA Tour for some years now, while the performances of promising Welsh players such as Amy Boulden and Rhian Wyn-Thomas point toward a bright future for Welsh ladies golf. Becky agrees.

“Absolutely, you look at the people who have come through – people like myself and Becky Morgan, who have been on tour for a while. Libby Hall did really well in Dubai in the last event. She’s starting to show her promise – she’s an exceptionally talented individual.

“I’ve played a bit of golf with Amy Boulden and her sisters as well. I really hope we’ll see them coming through soon.”

Becky was eager to praise the GUW for their role in the development of elite amateurs, and particularly for their part in her own development.

“The GUW have done a great job. I think that the amalgamation of the mens’ and the ladies’ seems to have worked really well. Certainly from a ladies side you get the feel now of it being a far more professional organisation. There are some really good people in there, so hopefully they can keep them running the show and they can keep churning out some really good players.

“The Welsh Ladies Golf Union were really good to me and gave me a lot of support. I used to see some of them at the tournament in Wales and it was great to catch up. I will always be thankful for the support that I got.”

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered