Judy Murray announced as Slingsby Gin’s celebrity Golf Academy winner 2022

30/08/2022

Scottish tennis coach Judy Murray will compete in the star-studded line-up at the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am after learning to play golf thanks to the help of PGA Professional Matthew Reid.

Six months ago, Slingsby Gin challenged Murray to take part in the second series of its Golf Academy with three other celebrity cadets including Olympic equestrian Zara Tindall, Doctor and TV personality Zoe Williams and Sky Sports Boxing presenter Anna Woolhouse

The Golf Academy initiative was created by Slingsby Gin with the aim of inspiring more women to get into golf and to champion the social side of the sport.

The four celebrity cadets were given six months to learn how to play golf, working week-on-week with their PGA Professional partner to ace their skills before a tense play-off against each other which saw a very tight finish between Murray and Tindall, separated by just a few shots. The winning putt was made by Judy to secure her spot at the renowned BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am in September.

The BMW PGA Championship is one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year, with the Celebrity Pro-Am kicking off the five-day Festival of Golf in style. Each year celebrities from the world of sport, film, music and broadcast come together to play the Championship’s star-studded day’s event at the prestigious Wentworth Club in Surrey. Previous players include Tom Holland, Jamie Dornan, Niall Horan, Slingsby Golf Academy host Anton du Beke and last year’s winning cadet Helen Skelton.

Murray, Slingsby Golf Academy winner, said: “I’m thrilled - and surprised - to have got through the play off with my fellow cadets and to be given the chance to compete in the BMW PGA Pro-Am.

“The Slingsby Golf Academy has given me a wonderful opportunity to learn to play golf in six 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.”

Judy, who has been coached by PGA Professional Matthew Reid at Gleneagles, will be playing Wentworth’s West Course on Wednesday 7th September taking up Slingsby’s spot in the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am tournament for one final swing in her Slingsby celebrity Golf Academy journey.

The cadets’ journeys were captured in a six-part series which showcased Zara, Judy, Dr Zoe and Anna’s progress and shared on Slingsby’s website and social media (@slingsbysocial), as well as clips being broadcast on Sky Sports. Each episode captured the challenges and triumphs that came with taking up the game of golf.

Marcus Black, co-founder of Slingsby Gin, added: “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.”