GB AND I's TOP FEMALE AMATEUR ANNABEL 

DIMMOCK TURNS PRO, DEBUT DOWN UNDER

NEWS RELEASE FROM LET

Annabel Dimmock, the No. 1 ranked female amateur golfer in Great Britain and Ireland, has turned professional and joined the Ladies European Tour.

The 18-year-old Wentworth Club, Surrey member reached No. 10 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking and won the GB and I Order of Merit in 2014.  

She produced a string of excellent results including sinking a 30ft putt to win the Sunningdale Foursomes and also clinched the Helen Holm Scottish Open trophy at Royal Troon after her stateside win at the Jones Doherty Cup. She was also runner-up at the Welsh Open Stroke Play, Spanish Amateur and South Atlantic Ladies’ Amateur (The Sally).

The youngest member of the Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup Team at St Louis in the USA, Annabel represented Europe in the Junior Ryder Cup at Blairgowrie. She was selected to represent Team GB at the Summer Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China. As an amateur, she also finished tied for 27^th place in the ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters on the Ladies European Tour.

Having attended the LET’s Lalla Aicha Tour School in December, Annabel will make her professional debut via a sponsor exemption at next week’s RACV Ladies Masters at Royal Pines, Gold Coast, Australia, which is the first tournament on the 2015 Ladies European Tour schedule, taking place from February 12-15.

 She will also compete a fortnight later in the ISPS HANDA Ladies New Zealand Open on February 27-March 1 at Clearwater Golf Club in Christchurch, against a high quality field including World No.2 Lydia Ko.

Annabel said: “I am very excited to be turning professional. I've felt ready since playing in my first LET event, the ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters at The Buckinghamshire in July. I played the Curtis Cup and stayed amateur for the Junior Ryder Cup, Youth Olympics in Nanjing and finished my amateur career winning the LGU order of Merit, as the No.1 amateur in GB&I.

“I am looking forward to playing in my first tournaments as a professional at the RACV Ladies Masters and the ISPS HANDA Ladies New Zealand Open. I am disappointed I've had to give my place up in the Ricoh Women’s British Open but I still hope to qualify. 

"My first year is all about learning and trying to gain my full card.  It has been great to see Charley Hull and Amy Boulden both winning the LET’s Rookie of the year awards and this has really inspired me.”

On her ambitions for her first season as a professional, she added: 

“I like to set myself regular small achievable goals and work hard at it. I'm lucky to have a great coach in Lawrence Farmer and personal trainer in Mark Alcock who are both passionate about their jobs.”

Annabel has had great support from Wentworth’s Golf & Tennis Foundation  and the Club’s Chief Executive Julian Small commented: “A big part of Wentworth’s ethos is to inspire the next generation to play golf and the Scholarship programme offers a great opportunity for local boys and girls to do that. Having seen the success of Ross Fisher it is wonderful to now see our first female scholar achieve Professional status and play on the Ladies European Tour. Annabel has been a role model within both the Junior and our vibrant Ladies Section and it is fitting that the announcement takes place here at Wentworth, where the inaugural Curtis Cup match was played back in 1932. Going forward, we are looking at ways that the Club can support Annabel in her career and we wish her the best of luck.”

Annabel has recently welcomed Global Reach Partners, DG Imports, BMW and TaylorMade to her team and with her outstanding amateur record, she is expected to receive invitations to play in a number of high profile professional tournaments this season. 

Follow her results and progress at www.ladieseuropeantour.com and also www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk