LAUREN TAYLOR IS BBC YOUNG SPORTS PERSONALITY OF YEAR

LAUREN TAYLOR with the BBC Trophy that caps her wonderful year. Image courtesy of BBC/Guy Levy

FROM THE BBC SPORTS.COM WEBSITE

Lauren Taylor has been named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year. The English teenager became the youngest winner of the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship when she took the title at Royal Portrush GC, Northern Ireland, last June, aged only 16.

Taylor's historic victory earned her a place in the Carnoustie field for the Ricoh Women's British Open. The girl from Rugby also represented Europe in the Junior Solheim Cup match and is ranked 20th in the women's amateur world rankings.

Now 17, Taylor, a member of  Woburn Golf Club, beat cyclist Lucy Garner and swimmer Eleanor Simmonds to the award.

The decision was made by a panel chaired by BBC Sport presenter John Inverdale. The youngster made a memorable debut on the Ladies European Tour, qualifying for the Slovak Open and then hitting a hole in one during the first round.

Taylor helped England win a silver medal at the European Girls Team Championships and was also a member of England's winning Ladies' Home Internationals team at Hillside.
Lauren, pictured by Cal Carson Golf Agency studying her putt on the first green of the final at Royal Portrush,  has been now been signed by Baylor University at Waco, Texas, on a four-year golf scholarship, starting next August.
 Speaking about her achievements, Ryder Cup player and world number 25 Ian Poulter said: "She is not only a great golfer but an extremely well-rounded young woman. Lauren is a deserving winner of the award and has my full support as she moves forward with her golfing career."
Steve Robinson, English Women's Golf Association national coach, added: "Lauren has always impressed me with her work-rate, attitude and ambition along with her desire to compete - the attributes all top-class athletes require.

"Lauren is a very talented, down to earth sportsperson and has a very bright future ahead of her."
In addition to Taylor, Garner and Simmonds, the original shortlist of 10 also included: Liam Broady (tennis), Sally Brown (athletics), Tom Daley (diving), Jack Laugher (diving), Pat McCormack (boxing), Laura Robson (tennis) and Anthony Watson (rugby union).
The award is made to the outstanding young sportsperson aged 16 or under on 1 January 2011. Previous winners include Andy Murray, Wayne Rooney, Simmonds and Theo Walcott.
+Picture of Lauren and her caddie-dad Martin after her historic win at Royal Portush GC last June. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

FROM THE ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION NEWS RELEASE

In the BBC TV audience was Open champion Darren Clarke – who was runner-up in the Sports Personality of the Year Award behind the winner, racing cyclist Mark Cavendish, world number one Luke Donald , US Open champion Rory McIlroy and Europe’s winning Solheim Cup captain Alison Nicholas, together with members of her team.
Lauren Taylor told the audience: “It is such an honour to win this award. My thanks firstly to the English Women’s Golf Association for all their support, secondly to my special supporters at Woburn Golf Club – I wouldn’t be here without your help. Next my coach, Andy Dunbar, for all the hard work we put in – it got me that trophy.
“Then to my family and friends, especially my dad who caddied for me – it was a special moment when I won. Finally to the LGU for putting on a fantastic event.”
+Lauren Taylor is a near-certainty to be in the Great Britain and Ireland team for the Curtis Cup match against the United States at Nairn Golf Club from June 8 to 10, next year. Eight days later she will begin the defence of her British title at Carnoustie.

ESSEX GIRL PAIGE KEMP (16) WILL BE CHASING SCOTS U18s CAP

 PAIGE KEMP, one for the SLGA selectors to look out for in the 2012 Scottish U18 girls and U21 open stroke-play championships.

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Earlier this week, Paisley-born, Lincolnshire-based Kirsty Condon, who will be 20 in May, let it be known that she would be chasing a place in the Scotland women’s international team in 2012. 

Now comes news from Essex that 16-year-old Paige Kemp, whose mother Julie was born in Stirling, will do her very best to win a place in the Scotland Under-18 girls team in the new season. 

Paige intends to play in the Scottish Under-18 girls’ championship at Crail (July 17-21) and stay on for the Scottish Under-21 girls’ open stroke-play championship at Blairgowrie (July 25-27). 

Born in Essex on October 5, 1995, Paige starts 2012 with a handicap of 2.5 which could come down nearer the scratch mark in the new year.

Her dad Allan reports: “Paige is a stalwart member of a very strong Essex girls county squad, that can boast the current English Under-15s champion and another champion in the form of the Under-14s US Kids World Championship winner.” 

Paige says: "I love my trips up to Scotland as it provides me with a great change of scenery, different faces to compete against and make new friends. I especially enjoyed my last round at Cardross this past year when I got to play with some quality players in the form of Rachael Watton and Eilidh Briggs. It also gives my Mum the chance to see her family on a regular basis." 

“Paige is in her last year of senior school and is currently doing her GCSE's so making trips up to Scotland is limited as she has always said that her education comes first,” says her father. 

“She will then go on to college in Essex, before deciding on a UK university or moving over the pond to America for college golf.”

Paige’s late grandfather Bill – father of mother Julie – was born in Alloa but moved to Essex for work, taking his family with him. 

“Paige was always very close to her grandad, who kept his Scottish accent, and he would always come and watch her play in all her sporting activities, including her other sporting passions, football and hockey,” said Allan Kemp. Paige has played a few times in Scotland, twice at the U16 girls’ open stroke-play and once at the U18 girls championship. She qualified for the knock-out stages of the U18s’ event in 2010 (at the age of 14), losing 2 and 1 to Rachael Watton in the second round. 

Paige hit some form in the middle/end of last season, coming a crediitable sixth, at the age of 15, in the U21 stroke-play at Cardross. 

She followed this up by winning the Boyce Hill GC women’s club championship and also finishing runner up, only one stroke behind the winner, Junior Vagliano Trophy team player Amber Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer) in the East of England women’s championship at Cambridge Meridian GC.  

KARRIE WEBB TO DEFEND HSBC CHAMPIONS' TITLE IN SINGAPORE

NEWS RELEASE
Singapore - LPGA legend and Hall of Famer Karrie Webb will return to defend her HSBC Women’s Champions title at the Tanah Merah Country Club from February 23 to 26 February.
The Australian golfing legend, currently ranked 18th in the official Rolex Rankings, will be returning to the club where she won last year’s title with hopes of repeating her winning performance.
The 2012 edition of the tournament considered as “Asia’s Major,” will be once again boast an elite field of players from within the women’s game. The “Champions of Champions” event has one of the most challenging qualification criteria of any golf event in the world.
To be sure of their place in the US$1.4 million prize purse, a player must have won a LPGA tournament in 2011 or finished the year in the Top 20 on the Rolex Rankings.

Webb, pictured, who beat the strongest field ever gathered in Asia to win the 2011 title on the lush fairways at Tanah Merah, continued her winning form throughout the year with five top ten finishes and two victories from 20 starts.
Webb has a total of 36 LPGA Tour victories, which is the most of any player currently active on the LPGA tour, and her presence at next year’s tournament is highly anticipated.
Webb said of her participation, “I am really looking forward to coming back to Singapore and playing in the HSBC Women’s Champions. As a professional you always want to test yourself against the best, and from past experience the tournament in Singapore attracts one of the best fields of the year outside of the Majors.
"I’ll be training hard over Christmas to be in the best form I can for February.” An elite field of international golfers is once again expected for the fifth edition of this tournament, led by 2011 champion Webb.
For further information on next year’s tournament please visit the official site http://www.hsbcgolf.com/womens/home

Event Details
Player Field:  Maximum number of 63 players. There will be no cut, so all will play the full 72 holes.
Those invited to participate will be:
Top 20 players from the Rolex Women’s World Ranking (as of Dec31, 2011)
LPGA Tournament Champions from 2011
HSBC Women’s Champions Winners from 2010 and 2011
2012 Honda LPGA Thailand Winner
Two sponsors’ invites
Singapore Qualifier
To fill the field to 63, leading players on the LPGA Tour Money List not other qualified (as of year ending 2011 LPGA Money List)

YANI TSENG HAS MIXED LUCK IN USA ATHLETE OF YEAR POLLS

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
Ricoh Women's British Open Championship winner at Carnoustie last summer, Yani Tseng won two majors in all and seven in total LPGA Tour events (and five additional events) in 2011, but it wasn't enough to break into the top three in the Associated Press's Female Athlete of the Year vote.
The winner was U.S. women's soccer team striker Abby Wambach who received 65 of the 214 votes cast, while team-mate Hope Solo (38) was a distant second and UConn basketball star Maya Moore (35) was third.

EDITOR'S NOTE: So what does this prove? That women's pro golf - and the dominance of it by players from South Korea and all points East - is not as popular as we think? Or that the people who voted in this poll wouldn't know a green from a cabbage?

ANOTHER USA POLL MANAGED TO GET IT RIGHT

DAPHNE, Alabama - The world's No.1-ranked women's golfer, Yani Tseng, is the United States Sports Academy's 2011 Female Athlete of the Year. This top-ranked stand-out, who dominated her sport during the past season, was chosen by hundreds of thousands of sports fans worldwide in online balloting. It is the 27th consecutive year that the Academy has conducted the Athlete of the Year award in conjunction with USA Today and NBC Sports.

Tseng, a Taiwanese golfer, had a history-making season. She claimed her fifth major championship this year at the age of 22, making her the youngest golfer, male or female, to do so.
Tseng made history by winning the Women's British Open at Carnoustie. When Se Ri Pak (LPGA) and Tiger Woods (US PGA) won their fourth major titles, they were both 24 years old. Tseng's victory in the Women's British Open was her second straight and at the time the victory was her fourth out of the last five women's major tournaments.
This year, Tseng finished No. 1 in scoring average, driving distance, birdies and rounds under par en route to her second consecutive Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Player of the Year award.
The world's No. 1-ranked women's golfer recorded seven LPGA titles, including two majors, plus won four other international events.
The Athlete of the Year ballot is the culmination of the Academy's yearlong Athlete of the Month program, which recognises the accomplishments of men and women in sports around the globe.
Each month, the public is invited to participate in the worldwide Athlete of the Month nomination and ballot voting processes done online. The votes, along with the Academy's selection committee, choose the male and female winners. The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and world with programs in instruction, research, and service.
The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports. For more information about the Academy, call 251-626-3303 or visit www.ussa.edu