Mothers and Daughters Preview 2017

Tracey and Amelia Williamson
image courtesy Julia Burrows

By Jo Thesiger

Tracey and Amelia Williamson, from Royal Cromer, tee off in the Mothers and Daughters foursomes at Royal Mid Surrey on Saturday in a bid to claim their fourth consecutive title. The Norfolk pair's domination of the event in recent years is all the more impressive considering Amelia, a plus 3 handicap, is still only 16!

Although the field is scattered with former champions, the Williamsons start as clear favourites and look too powerful a partnership to be stopped. Indeed, they are a perfect combination since Amelia, an England International, is fortunate to have a mother (Tracey), who still plays off a 1-handicap and has her own distinguished golfing track record ; eight-times Norfolk champion and a county golfer for over thirty years. Although such exceptional partnerships are quite unusual, the Williamsons follow in the footsteps of some celebrated past winners including professional, Alexandra Peters, who won three successive titles with her mother, Ann, from 2008 to 2010.

The Williamsons are poised to go one step further on Saturday but know that they will never be able to match the extraordinary feat of Angela Uzielli who won an implausible twenty-one times with her mother, Peggy Carrick (another former Norfolk Champion) and once with her daughter, Caroline. In the next couple of years, Amelia, who finished 2nd in the Roehampton Gold Cup last week, is destined for an American university before joining the professional ranks, so their opportunities are limited. Nevertheless, this unique event remains a very important date in the Williamson's golfing calendar and they have ambitions to set their own records. Indeed, Amelia, who was already the youngest winner at the age of thirteen, explained, " I really love to play in the Mothers and Daughters with my mum, we have been lucky enough to win it but would love to set a score that will stand for a long time!"