Described as a tower of strength by captain Mary McKenna, Philip Reidcharts a remarkable week in the life of Ulster golfer Danielle McVeigh
SAM TORRANCE once talked of heroes emerging from the shadows, albeit in a Ryder Cup context.
Yet, as Danielle McVeigh stood on the 16th green here at Essex County within a sand wedge shot of the house where course designer Donald Ross called home in the early part of the last century, you couldn’t but believe the 22-year-old Ulsterwoman possessed all of those traits which Torrance looked for.
“A tower of strength,” is how British and Irish captain Mary McKenna described McVeigh, who took out reigning US women’s amateur champion Jennifer Song by a 3 and 2 margin in the top singles match.
And, although it didn’t have the knock-on effect down the line that she’d have hoped for, McVeigh’s destruction of a highly-rated player, who actually moves into the professional ranks this week with an invite on the LPGA Futures Tour, augurs well for the Irish player’s own future.
It was, for sure, an emotional win for McVeigh, whose father Tom, who introduced her to the sport in her pre-teens, died suddenly just six weeks ago. And there was a poignant moment after her win as the player embraced her mother Lucy and sister Shauna who had walked every step of the way with her on her debut in the match. “I had to put everything aside, to be honest, this week and just get on with it, to put the ball in the hole in as least shots as I could. But I think himself is up there looking after me, so I am delighted I could play well,” she said.
McVeigh’s win over Song will certainly give her a memory to take with her into a future career on tour, whenever that might be, although the expectation is that she will attempt to secure a card on the LPGA Tour in the United States.
“I’m not sure when (to make the move). All I was thinking of this week was the Curtis Cup and now I’ll regroup because next week I’ve the British amateur. I’m just taking it one week at a time.”
In yesterday’s singles, McVeigh showed power off the tee, good approach work – with irons and fairway woods – and a deft touch with the putter. Her all-round game was excellent, epitomised by her play of the 457-yards par-five fifth hole where she hit a five-iron approach to 20 feet and sank the eagle putt.
“I required an eagle and I went for it. I was feeling pretty confident and I could go at the pin, I was rolling the ball well on the greens.”
Her putting touch was evident in spectacular fashion on the eighth, a green full of bumps and hollows. In a previous fourball match, McVeigh had seen one of her putts come back down the hill. So, when faced with a similar putt in yesterday’s singles, she gave it “a good rap” and watched as the ball went up and down the undulations and into the hole for a birdie which moved her two-up and into control of the match.
It all finished on the 16th, close to Ross’s old house, and her win over Song gave McVeigh an indication of what awaits down the road. “I’ve learnt that I can stand up to the test. I mean, these are the very top amateurs in the world which isn’t too far away from the best pros in the world. If I can keep improving and continue to beat some of these people, I will be doing all right.”
