CATRIONA MATTHEW PASSES ON ADVICE TO 

       GEMMA DRYBURGH

FROM GOLFWEEK.COM
By BETH ANN NICOL
Gemma Dryburgh lives in London when she’s not a student at Tulane University, New Orleans. She moved to the U.S. to attend the IMG Academy at age 15 but actually was born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland.
“I’d like to think I’ve kept my accent,” she said.
Aye, and don’t doubt for a second where her football allegiances lie. It just so happens that Aberdeen is tied for the lead in points in the Scottish Premiership.
Dryburgh, a senior at Tulane who is in Peru competing in the South American Amateur, met with fellow Scot Catriona Matthew for the first time at North Berwick earlier this month in search of sage advice.

One might presume that Scotland would be well-represented on the LPGA, but while Matthew certainly enjoys a terrific career, she’s alone in her efforts.
In fact, when Matthew was growing up there weren’t any Scots on the LPGA. Kathryn Imrie joined the tour shortly before Matthew did in 1995, and soon peers Janice Moodie and Mhairi McKay followed.
“There hasn't been any others from Scotland on tour since,” Matthew wrote in an email. “Hopefully there will be a few more down the line.”
Dryburgh, of course, would like nothing more than to join 45-year-old Matthew, a native of North Berwick and mother of two.
Matthew is keen on putting her clubs away for an extended period during the offseason, and when she took up practicing in the second week of January, Dryburgh flew up from London to see what she could learn.
Poor weather on the first day limited their time to lunch, but the next day Dryburgh watched Matthew have a lesson and then played seven holes with her in 30-mph winds at Archerfield Links, site of the Ladies Scottish Open.
“She’s obviously one of the best British players we’ve ever had,” said Dryburgh, who peppered Matthew with a variety of questions.
Dryburgh, a member of the GB and I Curtis Cup team last year, went into the visit thinking she’d try only Ladies European Tour Q-School after turning pro later this year but, on the advice of Matthew, has decided to give LPGA Q-School a try as well to keep her options open.
Matthew also told her to keep her game plan simple and go for the middle of the green more often than not.
“I felt like that was huge,” Dryburgh said. “I feel like a lot of amateur golfers feel like they need to go for pins.”
Because Matthew drops her kids off at school in the morning and picks them up in the afternoon, her practices at home are compact and focused. No more than two hours on the range.
Matthew said she urged Dryburgh to learn how to manage her time and practice productively, not worrying about what other people are doing.
Considering the incredible balancing act Matthew does between work and family while traveling the globe, one would be hard-pressed to find a better example of efficiency.
While most of the top players in the world will begin their LPGA season next week in Ocala, Florida Matthew will remain in Scotland and miss the first two stops. Instead she’s off to Abu Dhabi to prepare with her coach. 
Her 21st season on the LPGA will begin in Australia, followed by events in Thailand and Singapore.
“She certainly has the potential to do well,” Matthew wrote of Dryburgh. “But as we all know, it takes a lot more than a good golf game to make it to the top of the game. She and her parents are all very down-to-earth and realize it is a tough journey ahead of them all.”
Making advice from someone such as Matthew all the more invaluable.