English Ladies Golf Association Press Release

MELISSA REID WINS ENGLISH

LADIES' ORDER OF MERIT

WITH RECORD TOTAL

Derbyshire’s Melissa Reid is England’s No 1 amateur woman golfer. She scored a runaway win in the English Ladies’ Golf Association order of merit.

The 20-year-old from Chevin, pictured right, took the title, sponsored by One Up Golf, with a record number of points at the end of a season of outstanding success.

The runner-up was last year’s winner, Kerry Smith (Waterlooville), followed by the Ganton pair Rachel Bell and English champion Naomi Edwards, and their fellow international Liz Bennett (Brokenhurst Manor).

“Winning this is great, it shows me how consistent I have been,” said Melissa, who now heads for the Ladies European Tour qualifying school.

“It has been a really good year – but it could have been better,” she added as she reviewed her season. Melissa’s triumphs included winning the amateur salver at the Women’s British Open, where she finished 16th, becoming British stroke-play champion, successfully defending her Scottish stroke-play title and capturing the St Rule Trophy.

On the team front she helped Great Britain win the Commonwealth Tournament in South Africa, which proved to be one of her highlights of 2007. “It’s always good to win a team event.” She was also in the England side which won the bronze medal at the European team championships.

Her regret was not winning the English championship, where she was runner-up, but her response was to immediately go out and win her next tournament. Melissa has been involved with ELGA’s lottery-funded training programme since she was 13 and she says: “It’s been really good. It’s important to know where you come from and En gland have developed me from the start.”

She has also recently been working with Sir Clive Woodward, the British Olympic Association’s director of elite performance. “England took me to one level and Clive has moved me on to the next,” said Melissa. Her next target is winning her card for the Ladies European Tour and her appearance at next week’s first qualifying stage will mark her return from injury.

She is suffering from a torn membrane in one wrist which ruled her out of golf for four weeks and meant missing the Home Internationals and two Tour events.

Melissa has had treatment but her practice has been limited. “It’s going to be quite challenging and I’m excited to meet that challenge and see how strong I can be mentally,” she said.

Full details on the order of merit: www.englishladiesgolf.org
Lyndsey Hewison

Press & PR Officer
Visit the ELGA web site at http://www.englishladiesgolf.org/