Martina Gillen

Martina Gillen is without doubt the most talented golfer that has ever been produced by Beaverstown Golf Club. She joined the Junior Section at an early age (1993), encouraged by her father Larry, a Member of the Club and no mean sportsman himself as a regular on the Longford team of the 60s. It soon became clear we had a prodigy as her handicap rapidly fell and she began to win prizes in the ladies competitions. The Club is reknowned for having one of the finest junior coaching systems in the country and Martina thrived in their care.

By 1997 she was part of a successful Leinster Inter-provincial team and in 1999, she won the Munster, Connaught and Midlands Girls Championships. In 2000, she retained the Connaught & Midlands titles and went on to become Irish Girls Champion.

The big turning point in her career came in 2000 when she was accepted by Kent State University on a golfing scholarship. Over the course of the next few years, Martina represented the college in inter-State competitions winning 6 college tournaments and was a two-time All-American Honourable Mention. She graduated in 2004 with a Business Management degree.

During her college years, Martina continued to “commute” across the Atlantic to compete in National competitions and to represent Leinster and Ireland in the major events. In 2002 & 2004, she was runner-up in the Irish Ladies Strokeplay Championship while, in 2003 & 2005, she won the Irish Ladies Close Championship and Scottish Ladies Strokeplay title respectively. In 2005, Martina was part of the winning Great Britain & Ireland team that defeated Europe in the Vagliano Trophy at Chantilly GC. Her assault on the domestic honours continued and in 2006 won the Irish Ladies Open Strokeplay Championship at Co. Sligo Golf Club.

Martina represented Ireland at all levels and was a regular on the Irish international team since 1997. Her crowning achievement in the amateur ranks arrived in July 2006 when she was selected on the Great Britain & Ireland team for the Curtis Cup in Bandon Dunes, USA. Despite finishing on the losing side, Martina performed creditably and secured several crucial points.

In 2007, Martina turned professional when she qualified, with limited exemptions, for the Ladies European Tour. In all, she played 14 tournaments in her maiden season with notable placings in the Portugese, Welsh, Scottish and Dubai Opens. In November 2007, she retained her card for the 2008 Tour when she finished equal 4th at the Q-School in Bologna, Italy. This allowed her compete in more events in 2008 than she could in her rookie year.

In 2008 Martina finished the Tour in 46th place in the Exemption Ranking and 50th place in the New Star Money List, a great achievement in her maiden year. Her notable performances were 6th place in the Portugese Open, 10th in the English Open, 11th in the Welsh Open and 11th in the UNIQA Golf Open.

Follow Martina’s professional career by clicking on the following link:

www.ladieseuropeantour.com

Martina’s Amateur Career