Rachael Taylor, winner of the Chervo Ladies Trophy at the Hartl Golf Resort in Germany, pictured with (right) Andreas Gerleigner, the resort's director of golf, and (left) Fritz Neumann, head of the Chervo company in Germany.

Rachael Taylor wins in Germany,

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now for her debut at Craigielaw

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Born in Glasgow and resident in Germany since 1992, Rachael Taylor

is aiming to come "home" to Scotland and make an impact on her debut in the Scottish women’s amateur (closed) championship at Craigielaw Golf Club, Aberlady from May 18 to 22.
Rachael was capped for Scotland in last year’s girls’ home internationals after reaching the quarter-finals of the Scottish Under-18 girls’ championship at Lanark.
“Both my parents grew up in Plains (North Lanarkshire). My dad played at Easter Moffat Golf Club and then did his training as a PGA assistant professional there before moving down to Royal Berkshire Golf Club for a couple of years,” says Rachael.
“My parents moved with my brother Matthew and me to Germany in 1992, just after I was born in Glasgow Royal Maternity Hospital. My sister Sophia and my brother Luke were both born here in Germany.
“I started playing golf in Germany with my dad at the age of eight and played my first adult tournament at the age of 11. Although I have lived almost of all my life in Germany, I feel as Scottish as any of the other girls.”
Rachael’s dad, Gerry Taylor, has the plum job of head professional at the Hartl Golf Resort, Bad Griesbach in south-east Bavaria, near the Austrian border and about a 1 1/2hr drive from Munich.
He is the man in charge of an international teaching staff of 36 professionals.
“The resort has five 18-hole golf courses as well as three nine-hole lay-outs and two six-hole courses. As a member I can play all of them, so you could say that I have five home courses.”
Rachael recently won the Chervo Ladies Trophy over the Resort’s Mercedes Benz course with a level par round. She also won the long-driving competition on the day. Chervo is an Italian clothing company which has many shops on the Hartl Resort.
“I am working very hard on my game and I played the ladies’ course at Brunnwies, designed by Bernhard Langer, in a record four-under-par recently. I am really looking forward to going over to Craigielaw for the Scottish championship,” said Rachael who, as you would expect, is a fluent Germany speaker.

But she claims that no-one listening to her speak English could doubt her Scottish roots.

So, all credit to her parents for keeping the mither tongue to the fore in the Taylor household, even though it is a long way away in south-east Germany.