Judy Murray wins the Slingsby Golf Academy 2022!
6 months after taking on the challenge of learning the game of golf, we have a winner! Our 4 celebrity Slingsby Golf Academy cadets have been putting in some intense practice and training hard alongside their PGA professionals since March, but it was Judy Murray who took this year's top spot.
That means Judy will play in next month's BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am in front of thousands of spectators... no pressure! The Scottish tennis coach clinched the top spot after an 18-hole play-off at the beautiful Wentworth Golf Club alongside the Class of 2022; Zara Tindall, Dr. Zoe Williams and Anna Woolhouse.
Alongside our sponsorship of the BMW PGA Championship, we wanted to run the Slingsby Golf Academy for the second year to inspire more women to get into golf whilst really championing the wonderful social side of the sport. We gave our cadets just 6 months to learn the game and they really gave it their all, and it all came to a nail-biting final result between Judy Murray and Zara Tindall but it was Judy who came away with the most points on the day! You can watch the full episode from the play-off day on our YouTube channel.
On 7th September, Judy will be playing alongside celebrities from the world of sport, film, music and much more. Previous players include the likes of Tom Holland, Jamie Dornan, Niall Horan, Slingsby Golf Academy host Anton du Beke and last year’s winning cadet Helen Skelton. Come on Judy!
We caught up with Judy not long after the winning result was announced... "I'm thrilled - and surprised - to have got through the play off with my fellow cadets. The Slingsby Golf Academy has given me a wonderful opportunity to learn to play golf in 6 months with a fabulous girl gang and it’s really shown us all how much fun it can be. The fact that this is part of an initiative to encourage more women and girls to give the sport a try was a big driver for me.
I’m a huge believer in the power of sport and always keen to promote the physical and social benefits of fresh air and exercise to women and girls. It is also a sport for all ages and stages thanks to the handicap system and it’s especially good for families. So, I’m looking forward to taking on Jamie and Andy after I’ve experienced the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am with some of the world’s best golfers."
All of Team Slingsby have loved following the cadets for the last 6 months, and our co-founder Marcus Black shares our collective joy for Judy Murray: "I want to say a huge congratulations to Judy on her win! The Slingsby Golf Academy is all about championing female participation in the sport and it has been great to watch Judy take up golf over the last six months. All four of the celebrity cadets who took part battled hard in the final play-off and I’m really excited to watch Judy take part in the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am in September alongside the other celebrities involved."
We'll be documenting Judy's time in the Pro-Am in our sixth and final episode of the Slingsby Golf Academy, so make sure you're following us (@slingsbysocial) to stay up to date.