Gullane to host the Babe Zaharias Trophy

Gullane will be the first host venue for the Babe Zaharias Trophy as it begins a rotation around East Lothian and also reverts to its original stroke-play format.

Nick Black, captain of Gullane Ladies Golf Club, receives the trophy from Whitekirk captain Janice MacLeod

The tournament perpetuates the memory of Babe Zaharias, who was an exceptional US athlete and golfer, winning the British Ladies Amateur title at Gullane in 1947.

She then turned professional and went on to win every major title before she died of cancer in 1956, aged just 45 years. Her husband, George, donated the last trophy she won, inscribed Serbin Open-Miami 1955, to be competed by lady golfers in Scotland. Torphin Hill hosted the event for many years until Whitekirk took up the mantle, raising thousands of pounds for Macmillan Cancer support.

Now East Lothian Ladies County Golf Association has agreed to take guardianship of the trophy, which will be played at Gullane for the next two years before moving around Scotland’s Golf Coast.

“It is hoped by reverting to its original format and it being held on the challenging Gullane No.1 course, the tournament will appeal to competitors from within East Lothian and further afield,” said ELLCGA captain Barbara Biggart.

“It would have been very sad if the tournament had not continued after the trophy and its history had been returned to America.”

This year’s event will be held on August 22 and entry forms can be downloaded from the ELLCGA website, www.ellgolf.co.uk