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Philomena
Garvey
Queen
of the Irish Fairways
Philomena
(“Phil”) Garvey, the slim, fair-haired girl from
the small village of Baltray sadly passed away this year on
the doorstep of her beloved County Louth Golf Club. Phil dominated
ladies’ golf in Ireland from 1946 to 1970, achieving
celebrity status at a time when golf was mainly a male preserve.
Phil’s golfing
odyssey saw her compete against legendary golfers in some
of the most dramatic matches ever witnessed in ladies’
golf. Her greatest achievement was winning the British Ladies’
Amateur Championship at Gleneagles against the legendary Jessie
Valentine in 1957.
The following year,
as reigning champion, Phil controversially refused to wear
the Union Jack as the sole emblem of the Great Britain and
Ireland Curtis Cup team. The intransigence of the Ladies'
Golfing Union Executive Council to accommodate an Irish sportswoman
deprived her of a chance to compete on the world stage.
Henry Cotton described
her as “the finest woman golfer I’ve ever seen”
and aspects of her game were compared to Ben Hogan, Walter
Hagen and Joyce Wethered. Renowned abilities of concentration
and determination took her to fifteen national titles, five
British Ladies’ Amateur Championship finals and representation
on the Curtis Cup team – the ultimate accolade for ladies
amateur golf – on six occasions. This was all achieved
while working in Clerys department store in Dublin.
This is her story.
Published
by The Liffey Press -
to order your copy
click
here
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