Wilson and her winning ways

Annabel Wilson

Press Release from Sarah Crowe, ILGU
7 December 2016

Two time Irish Girls Close Champion, Junior Vagliano Team member and Bronze medal winner at the World Amateur Team Championships, Annabel Wilson reflects on some incredible golfing achievements, all at the age of 15. She got bitten by the “bug” at quite a young age, “I started playing golf when I was 7 years old. I went out golfing with my dad and my auntie when I was over in Scotland for Christmas holidays. I just loved it and got the bug then”.

It has been a pivotal year for Wilson, in terms of playing team golf to such a high standard and being a member of both the victorious Irish Girls Home International team and the Irish Ladies Team, who won Bronze at the World Amateur Team Championships. Wilson commented on being part of it all “Girls Homes this year was something else. The whole week was incredible and to be the first Irish girls’ team to win was fantastic and I think it's a great boost for Irish girls’ teams in the future. Mexico was definitely the most prestigious event I have played in to date, and it was such a great experience to see the best amateurs in the world play”.

Asked about tournament preparation and how she approached the 2016 season, she said “I had a good winters training so I think that gave me a good feeling going into the season. I try to keep similar preparations for every tournament and my mind-set would always be the same no matter what the tournament”.
She is aware of how far her capabilities can take her, combined with hard work and practice and she shared some of her 2017 ambitions “I want to better my placing in the WAGR and secure a win overseas. I’m still young enough to play Junior Vagliano Trophy again next year so that is definitely a target. Mairead (Martin) and I have a 10/10 winning match play record as well so we hope to add a few more wins next year”.

The Lurgan international has her GCSE’s next year so she will be planning golf around her exams and cutting down on tournaments, especially in May and June. She is three years away from university life but a golf scholarship in the States is on her mind “I think it is such a fantastic opportunity to go to college over there and play golf. I haven’t looked in to it yet because I won’t be going until 2019 but it’s definitely something I would like to do”.

Wilson shared a final thought on her advice for younger girls who are looking to improve, “Get a good coach and have a good relationship with them. I also think it is important to have a love for the game and have fun all the time”.