Jessie Valentine
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Scotland| Jessie Valentine MBE | |
|---|---|
 Valentine in 1938 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Jessie Anderson Valentine |
| Born | 18 March 1915 |
| Died | 6 April 2006 (aged 91) |
| Sporting nationality | Scotland |
| Career | |
| Status | Amateur |
Jessie Valentine (née Anderson) MBE (18 March 1915 – 6 April 2006) was a Scottish amateur golfer who won the British Ladies Amateur in 1937, 1955 and 1958.[1] In 1937, after winning the British Ladies title at Turnberry she was the world number one ranking ladies golfer.[2] Valentine was one of the dominant figures in women's golf for a period which spanned two decades from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s.[3] In 1959, she was the first woman golfer to be appointed as an MBE for services to golf and she was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.[1][4] She was considered one of Perthshire's greatest sporting personalities of all time and was known locally as "Wee Jessie" and the "Queen of Golf".[5][6]
Valentine was born Jessie Anderson in Perth, Scotland on 18 March 1915.[2] Her father, Joe Anderson, was for some time the professional at Craigie Hill Golf Club in Perth.[2][5] She started playing golf aged five and was trained by her father, who entered her in the British Girls Championships at Stoke Poges in 1932.[7] She went on to win the Girls Amateur Championship in 1933.[2]
Amateur career
In the 1930s, women had little chance of playing outside the amateur system, as there were no professional tournaments and jobs as club professionals were extremely rare.[8] In 1935, Valentine (as Miss Anderson) became the New Zealand Ladies Champion, and the following year the French Ladies Champion.[1] She was a member of the Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup team in 1936, famously holing a 60-foot putt on the 18th hole at Gleneagles to secure a win and help the team tie with the United States.[2][1] She represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup seven times between 1936 and 1958.[1]
Valentine won her first British Ladies title at Turnberry in 1937, beating Doris Park (daughter of the famous Willie Park, Jnr from Musselburgh, Scotland) 6&4 in the final.[9] In 1938 she won the first of her six victories in the Scottish Ladies' Amateur Championship and retained the title in 1939.[9] She did not compete between 1939 and 1945 due to the Second World War.[2] During the war, she drove a truck for the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS).[6]
Valentine won the Scottish Ladies' Amateur Championship in 1951, 1953, 1955 and 1956.[1] In 1955, she won her second British Amateur title at Royal Portrush having been runner up in 1950.[1] She became the first holder of both the British and Scottish women's championships in the same year.[10] In 1957 she won the Spalding Women's Open Stroke Play at Moor Park.[11] Valentine won the British Amateur title for the third and final time at Hunstanton Golf Club, Norfolk in 1958, her third final in four years.[9] She went into the tournament with a remarkable record and was rated as one of the favorites. In contrast to her two previous successes the 1958 win was a much tighter affair, with Valentine overcoming Elizabeth Park by a single hole in a closely contested match.[12]
Professional career
In 1960, at the age of 45, Valentine turned professional.[2]
Partnered with John Behrend, Valentine won the Worplesdon Mixed Foursomes three years in succession from 1963 to 1965.[13] She reached the final again in 1968, playing with Richard Brown.[14] In 1969, she was runner-up in the Astor Prince's Trophy.[15]
After her retirement, Valentine wrote a book Better Golf - Definitely in 1967. She was invited to 'hansel' the new golf course at Gleneagles with golf legend Jack Nicklaus and partnered tennis player Virginia Wade at the age of 78.[6] In 1999, she donated mementos of her career to Perth and Kinross Council's archives.[5]
Personal life
Valentine was married for 51 years to George Valentine, a Perth and Kinross councillor, who ran the company Valentine's Motors. They had one son, Iain, born in 1948.[5]
Death and legacy
Valentine died at Moncreiffe Nursing Home, Bridge of Earn, on 6 April 2006, aged 91 years. Her death was announced by Peter Alliss during live coverage of The Masters on the BBC.[6] Flags flew at half mast at Craigie Hill and Blairgowrie Golf Clubs, where she held honorary membership.
Valentine's career was the subject of a retrospective exhibition at Perth Museum and Art Gallery in 2019. She was also the subject of a biographical book, Wee Jessie: Jessie Valentine: Whose Golf Swing Lasted a Lifetime, written by Dr Eve Souslby and launched at the exhibition in 2019.[16]
Awards and honors
- Valentine was appointed a Member of The Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1959 New Year Honours for services to women's golf.[17][1]
- In 1967, she was awarded the Frank Moran Trophy for the "Scot who has done most for the game of golf."[1]
- In 1992, Valentine received the DK Thomson Award, awarded annually to residents of Perth and Kinross for outstanding achievement.[5]
- In 2003, she was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame.[1]
- In 2020, Valentine was inducted into Scottish Women in Sport Hall of Fame.
Amateur wins
- 1933 Girls Amateur Championship
- 1935 New Zealand Ladies Amateur Championship
- 1936 French Ladies Amateur Championship
- 1937 British Ladies Amateur
- 1938 Scottish Ladies' Amateur Championship
- 1939 Scottish Ladies' Amateur Championship
- 1951 Scottish Ladies' Amateur Championship
- 1953 Scottish Ladies' Amateur Championship
- 1955 British Ladies Amateur, Scottish Ladies' Amateur Championship
- 1956 Scottish Ladies' Amateur Championship
- 1958 British Ladies Amateur
Source:[1]