Panton-Lewis’ GB&I set to chase Women’s PGA Cup victory

01/10/2024

As Team GB&I finalise preparations, all eyes on are Cathy Panton-Lewis and her squad of talented players as they take on the United States, Canada, Sweden, South Africa and Australia over three days at Sunriver Resort, Oregon USA, starting on Thursday 3 October.

Making sure her team of five qualified WPGA Members enjoy their experience in Oregon is high on Panton-Lewis’s agenda. “I’m very much looking forward to it,” she said.

“The good thing about the WPGA is that everybody gets on, we all have a laugh together and we all know each other. We all have the same situations - teaching, working, all doing similar things, and we talk to each other about it, so we all understand each other and where we’re all coming from.”

She added: “It’s just trying to get people to play the best they can, try and keep it good fun - it’s a very important competition, but you don’t want people to get nervous about it. I want them to enjoy the experience, have a laugh - that’s the way I’ve always done it.”

Panton-Lewis, of Berkshire Golf Club, was one of the founding members of the Ladies European Tour, winning the inaugural LET Order of Merit in 1979 and amassing 14 wins spanning four decades in her career. And with more than 30 years of competing at the highest level of the game, Panton-Lewis will be calling upon her wealth of experience to guide her players through the event.

She also ensured to take up advice from GB&I PGA Cup Captain Tim Rouse, whose team competed against USA last month. “I spoke to Tim Rouse when he got back from Sunriver, to find out what the lay of the land is, what the condition of the course is, and what shots are important, because that’s the kind of thing to practise, especially putting and chipping - if they miss greens, what can they expect, what kind of sand is in the bunkers, all that kind of thing.

“Nobody’s going to hit every single green and every single fairway, so you need to know what you’re going to come up against if you don’t,” she said.

The format differs slightly from the PGA Cup, with each team consisting of five PGA-qualified Members. 18-holes are played each day by all players and the three lowest scores out of five will count for the team. The winners are the team with the lowest 54-hole aggregate total.

The 2024 GB&I team consists of four players whose places were decided over two full playing seasons, combining the results of the 2023/24 Women’s PGA Professional Championship and the 2023/24 WPGA Series. The final player was decided via a captain’s pick; Suzanne Dickens being the in-form player to deserve selection this year.

“I’ve got the very best five players and it’s really exciting,” said Panton-Lewis of her team of five consisting of Holly Morgan, Heather Macrae, Alison Gray, Marie Martindale and Suzanne Dickens.

“Marie (left) will be playing for the first time, although she is very experienced - she went to college in America for two years in Kentucky, and Holly has also been to college in Tennessee. Heather and Alison (right) are seasoned players. And Suzanne (middle) is such a consistent player - when she played last time, all three of her scores counted, every single day, which is fantastic. She’s what we need. Somebody who’s going to deliver.”

The inaugural Women’s PGA Cup took place at Barton Creek Resort in Austin, Texas, in 2019. The first international event for women PGA Professionals saw the USA come out on top as they dug deep to hold off Canada and capture the trophy by four strokes. GB&I finished third, followed by Australia and Sweden.

In 2022, the South African team joined the field. GB&I led the tournament with nine holes to go on the final day but were pipped for victory by hosts the USA at Twin Warriors Golf Club in New Mexico.

Panton-Lewis will be delighted if they go one better in 2024 and will be remembering the advice of her late father, John Panton MBE, a three-time Ryder Cup player.

“It would be fantastic to win,” she said. “Especially on American mainland. I’m not sure the other teams would be pleased but we certainly would be.

“My Dad, who is sadly no longer with us, would have been proud of me. He always taught me to stay calm and focused under pressure and most importantly don’t beat yourself up if the putts don’t drop. “Never let your opponents see any weakness.”

To follow the live scoring, click here.