Murray welcomes merger move

Let ace Laura excited by SGU/SLGA amalgamation

Laura Murray has welcomed news of the amalgamation of the Scottish Golf Union and Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association. The Aboyne ace, currently in the midst of her rookie season on the Ladies European Tour, told the latest edition of our sister title bunkered (issue 141) that she hopes the merger will help bring about greater parity in the men’s and women’s amateur set-up, as well as encourage more young girls to take up the game.

“I was pretty fortunate that the SLGA was always supportive of me and my golf but I do know there were some financial issues that were holding it back a little bit,” said Murray. “Don’t get me wrong, I was always well provided for. They did as much as they could for us in terms of uniforms and expenses. But then you would look over at the guys in the SGU squads and they were getting so many more opportunities.  It was hard not to wish that you could have had some of that. Hopefully, amalgamation will redress that balance a little.”

ENCOURAGE

She added: “There’s a bit of a lack of depth at the moment in the girls’ and women’s games in Scotland but if people can see that the opportunities are there, along with equipment, good uniforms, travel expenses and the chance to go to some cool places, you’d have to hope that it would encourage more girls to participate and strengthen the set-up again. Besides anything else, it makes it equal and that’s the way it should be.”

In a wide-ranging interview, former SLGA Order of Merit winner Murray also hailed the influence of Paul Lawrie on her career to date.

The former Open champion invited his fellow Aberdonian to join his foundation stable in 2010, which she says couldn’t have been better timed.

BOOST

 “When Paul approached me to join his foundation, I wasn’t having that good a time with my game, I was at a bit of a low ebb,” she recalled. “So it was a real pick-me-up when he came calling. It made me feel like, ‘Oh, someone that good thinks I’m alright so I must be half-decent’. It was a confidence boost at just the right time and, fortunately, he has continued to help me out and support me.

“He’s only ever a text away and, any time that you play with him and he sees something in your game, he’ll say, ‘Do you want an opinion on that or not?’ He never forces his ideas on you but, let’s face it, he’s Paul Lawrie, he’s an Open champion, he’s played in Ryder Cups - of course you’re going to want to hear his advice. You’d be silly to turn it down.”

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