Anna's driving ambition Tees up place on American Women's tour

Nov 12 2008 by Tim Taylor, The Journal

ENGLAND international Anna Scott has taken a step nearer her ambition of becoming the first woman golfer from the North East to play on the glamour circuit of her sport, the American women’s tour.

The former British Under-16 champion from the Consett club has qualified for the Duramed Futures Tour at the first attempt and will turn professional in May when she graduates from Georgia State University in Atlanta.

This is unusual in that it is customary for college golfers to attempt to qualify after graduating. Scott, 22, has been working flat out all hours to combine her studies with her golf in order to get ahead of the game. After driving herself and her caddy for nine hours from Georgia to Florida, the staunch Newcastle United football fan squeezed through the 54-hole qualifying tournament for 94 spots at Cleveland Heights Golf Course, Lakeland, with rounds of 75, 74 and 75.

Although Scott started her first two rounds with birdies at the first two holes, she had to endure a nervous wait to find out she had made it after a double bogey at the last in her third round.

The Futures Tour, the feeder circuit for the LPGA Tour, is the recognised breeding ground for the world-class stars, the world No 1 Lorena Ochoa being among the golfers who have moved up from its ranks. Scott, from Shotley Bridge, who won The Journal Ladies Trophy when she was a 16-year-old, has represented Britain at two World Student Games, in South Africa this year and in Thailand in 2007.

In Britain, she won the Northern Federation Girls Championship in 2004 and the St Andrews Ladies Under-23 Open a year later.

But now, there is just as big a battle for Scott off the course as on it. Because she chose to chase her dream in America, she has been denied much of the funding available to English-based golfers of comparable ability.

“Yes, the family has had to make sacrifices,” said her father, Dave. “But we have pretty well exhausted our resources and I don’t think we can be expected to re-mortgage our property more than once! Between now and May, we shall be doing our utmost to find Anna a sponsor.”

Scott is coached by Brian Ridley, the professional at the Beamish Park Hotel Golf Academy. He said: “Anna is 100% committed, she knows what she has to do to get to where she wants and she’s working hard to get there.”

The 6ft 2in Scott has overcome injury problems to enjoy a glittering career on the American college circuit in the Colonial Athletic Association and was voted 2005 Freshman of the Year at Georgia State, where she is majoring in journalism and public relations.