Maureen set to make history in Golfplan final

A Scottish golfer will make history later this month by becoming the first woman to play in the Golfplan Insurance PGA Pro-Captain Challenge in Turkey.

Maureen Shanks, captain of West Lothian Golf Club near Linlithgow, joins PGA Professional Alan Reid at the £25,000 event, supported by Canopius, which is being held at the PGA Sultan course at Antalya Golf Club from November 21-22.

The pair qualified for the event when they won at Crail Golf Club in August and Shanks, who plays off a handicap of 10, is relishing the opportunity.

“I’m the first woman to play in the final so that’s a great honour in itself and I’m looking forward to representing the club,” she said.

“I’m getting a lot of stick from the members for the right reasons - they keep asking me if going to enjoy my holiday with Alan!

“But I’ve actually played this course before and liked it so I hope we can get over there and do well.”

Her appearance in the final rounds off a memorable year as captain.

“I was asked by the previous captain if I wanted to do it and thought about it and accepted the challenge, and now this has happened so it’s been great.”

Reid is also looking forward to the final which has generated plenty of interest in the club.

“I’m delighted for Maureen and the club, it’s doing a lot for our profile,” he said.

“But it’s good for me too. I’ve been at West Lothian for seven years and it’s my first PGA final although I have come close on a couple of occasions to getting there - so it’s third time lucky.”

“It’s a big achievement for Maureen to be the first woman to make the final and we’re going there to be competitive.”

New sponsor Golfplan is backing the tournament to raise its profile in clubs and make golfers aware of its comprehensive insurance product.

The product  includes replacing stolen clubs with brand new equipment, liability cover in case a wayward shot damages someone or something and can even cover your bar bill if you manage a hole in one!

Roger Harvey, managing director of the Bristol-based firm, commented: “We’re looking forward to our first grand final and wish all the finalists the best of luck.

“The final in Turkey caps a great first year of sponsoring the event in which we’ve seen some fantastic golf and also been able to highlight our comprehensive insurance product which is aimed at golfers seeking unrivalled cover.”