Hacienda del Alamo Women's Festival latest entry

MARIAN RIORDAN HAS

IMPRESSIVE CV ON AND

OFF THE GOLF COURSE

Marian Riordan decided after winning the Irish women's amateur Order of Merit in 2007 - following runner-up performances in Irish closed match-play championship and the Irish stroke-play championship - to turn professional.

One of her first events in her new rookie status will be the Hacienda del Alamo Women's Winter Festival at the five-star Murcia, Spain golf resort from February 10 to 23.

Marian, who is 27, is now in her first year of training to become a PGA professional at Greystones Golf Club, County Wicklow, south of Dublin.

Marian, who lives at Lucan, County Dublin, has a great CV as an amateur golfer but she also has an outstanding educational record.

She gained a BA in Business Studies and Recreation Leisure at Waterford Institute of Technology (200-2003) followed by a Higher Diploma (Honours) in Education degree (2003-2004) at University College, Dublin.

Back to golf and she is the women's course record holder at Tipperary, Ballykisteen, Lahinch and Abbeyleix golf clubs.

As a member of Tipperary Golf Club, she won the Cork Scratch Cup and the Lahinch Scratch Cup in 2007. She played for Ireland in the women's home internationals of 2007 at Dunbar and also in the European women's team championship in Italy last year.

On the 2005 Orange Blossom Tour in Florida, Marian and Mary Ann Plunkett won the international foursomes (better-ball) tournament, which starts with stroke-play qualifying and runs into match-play They are pictured above with Marian on the left.

The deadline for entries to the Hacienda del Alamo Women's Winter Golf Festival is Tuesday, January 15. Entries so far:

Professionals

Lauren DIGGLE (Wales).
Maria MARTIN LOPEZ (Spain).
Danielle MASTERS (England)
Natasha MORGAN (Wales)
Marian RIORDAN (Ireland).

Lien WILLEMS (Belgium).

Amateurs

Orla BARRY (Galway) handicap 5.
Lisa BARTON (Coventry) handicap 2
Jane BINNING (Frilford Heath) handicap 2.

Anna CARLING (Vale of Glamorgan) handicap 4.
Sarah CARTY (The Island, Dublin) handicap 4.
Charlotte DALTON (Ladbrook Park) handicap 3. Age 17.
Cara EASTON (Dalmahoy) handicap 8. Age 15.

Mandy EASTON (Dalmahoy) handicap 5.
Marion GEOGHEGAN (Navan) handicap 13.
Kate EVANS (Frilford Heath) handicap 7.

Rebecca GEE (Wellingborough) handicap 5. Age 16.
Annie GOWING (Frilford Heath) handicap 5.
Gemma JENNINGS (Navan) handicap 12.
Mary McAREE (Navan) handicap 20.
Judy McCAIRNS (Frilford Heath) handicap 9.

Kirsten MacCALLUM (McDonald Ellon) handicap 20. Age 14.
Lauren MacCALLUM (McDonald Ellon) handicap 7. Age 17.

Mary MacLAREN (Wellingborough) handicap 4.

Meghan MacLAREN (Wellingborough) handicap 7. Age 13.
Emma O’DRISCOLL (Ballybunion). Handicap 5. Age 15.

Emily OGILVY (Auchterarder) handicap +1.
Margaret ROONEY (Navan) handicap 20.
Philomena SHEERAN (Navan) handicap 20.

Rhian Wyn THOMAS (Vale of Glamorgan) handicap 1. Age 20.

Michele THOMSON (McDonald Ellon) handicap +1. Age 19.

Jane TURNER (Mortonhall). Handicap 1. Age 18.
Jane WHIRISKEY (Galway). Handicap 13.

Press Release

English Women’s Golf Association
announces board members

The English Women’s Golf Association has announced details of the chairman and non-executive directors of its new management board.
The chairman is Sue Whittaker of Northumberland and the non-executive directors are Carola Babcock of Buckinghamshire, Carolyn Baker of Wirral, Jane Longhorn of County Durham and Ada Parr of Northamptonshire.
EWGA came into being on January 1, 2008 and replaced the English Ladies’ Golf Association. It is a company limited by guarantee and will be run by the management board whose members have the business skills to drive forward women’s golf.
The aims of EWGA include encouraging more women and girls to play golf and to join golf clubs, to increase the number of women coaches and volunteers and to offer more opportunities for women and girl golfers to improve.
Sue Whittaker has held a host of public appointments, both local and national, and has chaired two NHS trusts. She is currently a non-executive director of the Public Guardian Board which scrutinises the way the Public Guardian carries out his duties protecting people who lack the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves. She is a magistrate and chairs sittings of the Berwick-upon Tweed bench.She is a lifelong golfer and a member at Bamburgh Castle Golf Club, where she is known by her married name of Webster.
Sue commented: “Being involved with the development of women’s golf is a very exciting prospect.”
Carola Babcock is an investment banker and venture capitalist with a passion for golf. She is a member at Harleyford Golf Club. She retired a few months ago, while still in her early 40s, after a successful 17-year career in the USA, Germany and the UK. For the last seven years Carola was head of German investment business and investment director for the Intermediate Capital Group PLC (ICG), a FTSE-listed company.
Carolyn Baker is an expert in human resources and employment law. She is a non-executive director and chair of UIA Insurance Ltd, a not-for-profit insurance company. She is also a non-executive director of Wirral Partnership Homes, a registered social landlord. She is a member at Bromborough Golf Club and was the first woman to be elected to the club’s council. She has also served on the executive committee of the Cheshire county ladies’ golf association.
Jane Longhorn is a business consultant who has worked extensively in the field of fast moving consumer goods and has commercial, engineering and manufacturing and management skills. She has held senior posts with the Coca-Cola Company, Marlow Foods, Dairy Crest and United Biscuits.
She has been a member of Seaton Carew Golf Club since childhood and plays off five. She’s a past ladies’ captain and has set a record as the ladies champion for the last eight consecutive years. She served as a deputy on the ELGA executive committee of 2006/07.
Ada Parr is an expert in communications and training. For 10 years she was a main board director of Porter Novelli Inc, which is one of the top-ten global communications companies and part of a $1.7bn NYSE listed group. She was responsible for managing Porter Novelli’s world-wide affiliates in 45 countries, along the way opening up new markets for Porter Novelli in China and India.
She is the 2007/08 ladies’ captain at Whittlebury Park Golf Club and, with club colleague Jo Price, won the Australian Spoons, the stableford foursomes competition for England’s bronze division handicap golfers.

Lyndsey Hewison
Press & PR Officer
Visit web site at http://www.englishladiesgolf.org/

MARIAN RIORDAN ENTERS
HACIENDA DEL ALAMO
WOMEN'S FESTIVAL

Rookie professional Marian Riordan is the latest Irish player to put her name down for the inaugural Hacienda del Alamo Women's Winter Golf Festival at the five-star Murcia (south-east Spain) golf resort from February 10 to 23.
We'll have the full story later today.
French Ladies European Tour player Cassandra Kirkland is another likely to swell the professional field.
Remember JANUARY 15 is the deadline for entries from professionals or Silver Division amateurs.
Entries should be E-mailed direct to Tournament Controller Colin Farquharson at colin@scottisgolfview.com