Golf: First Dispatch woman since 1927 welcomed into the fray

MORE women golfers have been encouraged to play in the Evening News Dispatch Trophy after Julie Douglas received a warm welcome at the Braids.

The 51-year-old Merchants member became the first woman to play in the event since 1927 as part of the Evening News team.

They lost in their opening match to Network Cooling but Douglas said she’d enjoyed the experience and one of her opponents is hoping she’s become a modern-day trail-blazer in the event. “She never missed a fairway or green,” said Liberton member Stevie Doyle, a Dispatch Trophy stalwart. “I was delighted, both for golf and this event, when I heard Julie was playing in it. It’s a well-known fact that numbers have been declining in recent years, so, hopefully, Julie won’t be the only woman we see playing up here. Better still, it would be great to see a women’s team in the future.”

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Douglas, who plays off six, joined forces with Andrew Richardson, the managing director of Evening News publisher Johnston Press.

“I really enjoyed it,” she said. “When Andrew first asked me to play, I had no idea that women hadn’t played in it for such a long time. From what I’ve experienced, I don’t see why more women shouldn’t play in the future.”

Richardson added: “The welcome Julie received has been very warm indeed. I did not realise women hadn’t played in the Dispatch Trophy since 1927 – I was surprised to find out it was a big deal.”

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