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Wentworth’s Annabel Dimmock makes her Ladies European Tour debut this week when she tees up in the ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters tournament at Buckinghamshire Golf Club, starting on Thursday.
The 17-year-old England squad member, whose parents own a house five minutes from the course in Denham, received an invitation to play in the event due to her exceptional results this year. These include ending as the runner up in the Sally (USA), winning the Jones Doherty Cup (USA), finishing 7th in the Portuguese International Ladies Championships, runner up at the Spanish International Ladies Championship and winning the Sunningdale Foursomes with club mate Steven Brown.
After representing Great Britain and Ireland in the 2014 Curtis Cup against the United States last month, when GB were beaten 13-7, Annabel feels ready for a new challenge and says, “I feel like I need something. In the run up to that all my goals were to play well in the tournaments to win them to get into the Curtis Cup and now it’s over, I feel a bit deflated. I didn’t feel the usual nerves on the first tee which I was gutted about so I need something to push me on now.
“I’m staying amateur for a little while but I think I’ll turn professional sooner rather than later. I’m going to Q School in December. I did my GCSEs and finished when I was 16 so I’ve been a full time golfer for a year now. This has been my best year so far but I think it’s because I’ve been practising full time. School was stressful so I’m glad I’ve got that out of the way and done with. People whom I’ve been competing against have been playing full time for a while so it’s like a level playing field now.”
Annabel, who lives in Sunninghill, competed at Buckinghamshire Golf Club at the US Women’s Open qualifier last month and although she missed out on the place in the major championship at Pinehurst No.2, she feels that she will benefit from local knowledge this week.
“I come down here sometimes because a few of my friends play here and the greens are amazing here all year round, so it’s really good to practice,” she says. “It’s my first LET event and so I don’t know about expectations. I don’t have high expectations but I don’t have low expectations. Hopefully I’ll do well. I think I can. I like the course, so that’s good. I like to think I can contend.”
The world class field of 144 top women golfers taking part includes world number six Karrie Webb of Australia defending the title as well as Cheyenne Woods, the niece of former world number one Tiger, Dame Laura Davies and teenage Solheim Cup sensation Charley Hull.
Annabel would like to follow in the footsteps of trail blazer Charley, who is only a year older than the Wentworth player and won her first title in March this year in Morocco.
“I think she moved out of the squad just as I moved in. I know her as a friend and she’s come to Wentworth and played with me before,” Annabel said. “She’s shown everyone in the amateur world that we’re not that far away from it. She was one of our friends and now all of a sudden she’s done amazing and I’m so pleased for her.”
Annabel, who will tee off at 12.29pm in the first round on Thursday, playing alongside Maha Haddioui of Morocco and French first year player Isabelle Boineau, will then tee off early at 7.44am in the second round on Friday before the cut to the leading 60 professionals and those tied going into the weekend.
