Watson is on the same road to recovery as Tiger

SCOTTISH GOLF'S GOLDEN GIRLS PART TWO: SALLY WATSON AND MICHELE THOMSON

IT'S been a tough time for Scottish teenager Sally Watson. During the past few months, she has been forced to sit on the sidelines while all around her picked up golf titles. It was certainly a whole lot different from last summer when, at just 16, she played all four rounds in front of thousands of spectators at the Ricoh Women's British Open at St Andrews.

The reason for the career hiatus was a serious knee operation, very similar to the one undergone by Tiger Woods. Under the expert eye of Gordon Mackay, a Scot who is a world-renowned sports injury surgeon, she was forced to undergo the repair of a torn cruciate ligament and a cartilage tear in her right knee.

She faced the knife just days after she played a starring role for Great Britain and Ireland at St Andrews at the Curtis Cup in June, and the good news is that one of our brightest young golfing talents is well on the road to recovery. In fact, Mackay predicts that the knee operations endured by both Watson and Woods could turn them into even better golfers.

Her initial hope of returning for the autumn Home Internationals were just a little ambitious. But now in her third and final year at the David Leadbetter Academy in Florida, she is again hitting shots almost at full throttle and has already had a second place in one of the major autumn US junior tournaments.

"I was able to chip and putt by September, but I didn't want to rush anything or risk irritating the injury," explained the 17-year-old from Elie. "I wanted to take my time.

"Everything with the knee has gone really well, and I have had fabulous help from the Scottish Institute of Sport. I can't thank them enough. Gordon Mackay did an excellent job and I've had great rehab from physiotherapist Stuart Barton. Everyone has been unbelievable."

If the second half of this year has been a tad exasperating, then 2009 promises much for Sally. Not only is there the prospect of a full summer of high profile amateur events but, in less than 12 month's time, she will take up a golf scholarship at Stanford University in California, joining Mhairi McKay as the only Scots to achieve such an honour.

Woods – a contemporary of McKay's – John McEnroe and Tom Watson are among the distinguished list of former students, while Michelle Wie could be one of Sally's classmates at a university ranked among the very best in America for both sporting and academic achievement.

"It's going to be fantastic and, even already, I'm so excited about going to Stanford," said Sally, who is already contemplating the idea of turning professional before her teens run out. "At the moment, this is definitely the best option for me."

McKay agrees. "I'm delighted that Sally has accepted the Stanford offer," said the 1997 Public Policy graduate. "I wouldn't swap my degree for all the gold in the world. I met so many people at Stanford that have now become my best friends. That means more to me than anything."

Caroline O'Connor, who heads the women's golf programme at Stanford, is already a fan of the young Scot. "I have been following Sally since she was 14 and playing for the Scottish team at the European Girls Team Championship in Switzerland," said the coach. "She is an outstanding all-around athlete with exceptional ball striking skills and a very comprehensive knowledge of the finer details of the sport. She's a gifted and tenacious competitor and we'll be really happy to have her at Stanford."

More than a decade since McKay's graduation, Sally will enjoy even better golfing resources at a university that has its own private course. "I have already visited the campus and there is a new $13million practice golf facility that is just impossible to describe," she said. "It is out of this world with six types of greens and all sorts of grass. The attention to detail is just crazy.

"I'm intending to go to college for four years and the college circuit will be a great learning experience. But I think I will know when to turn professional, it's all a case of getting the timing right."

Through her surgeon's eyes, there is no doubt that the delicate knee surgery – the injury dated back to the days when Sally was a promising basketball player – is no more than a glitch in her rise to the highest heights of the game.

"It was a serious problem that needed fixing as she had been really struggling to cope with the physical demands of modern-day golf," he said. "All the players work so hard in the gym and she couldn't do squats or lunges and there were times when the knee completely locked.

"I gather that the scenario was very similar to Tiger's. They had keyhole surgery, played with the injuries and then had to go back for more extensive treatment. When they are fully fit, the operations should actually enhance their performances. The knee is far more stabilised and, especially for aspects such as putting, having a much steadier stance can only make them better players."

For Sally, it was a tough decision to sit out the full summer and autumn programme but she is an amazingly level-headed youngster with a sense of clarity about where she is going, and the optimum way to get there. Having made a sensible, if frustrating, decision, then there is every chance that she will be rewarded with a very memorable 2009.


Thomson focuses on bid to win European Tour card as career as professional awaits

MICHELE Thomson has spent New Year in Abu Dhabi, but she was not lazing on the beach or quaffing champagne in celebration of a memorable 2008 season that included a Curtis Cup appearance and victory in the Scottish Women's Amateur Championship.

In fact, far from it. For the Scot, the arrival of 2009 is all about working hard, looking forward and being ready to face the toughest challenge of her golfing career at this month's Ladies' European Tour Qualifying School. It is a lucky break that her father, Graham, resides next door to Abu Dhabi Golf Club and she is permitted access to the course and the practice facilities.

The chance to hit balls in the heat of the Middle East will, she hopes, have been the perfect final preparation before she tackles the demands of back-to-back examinations to gain entry to next year's European circuit. The pre-qualifying starts at La Manga in Spain today and the final Tour School runs from 13-16 January.

For the Aberdeenshire golfer, signing up for the ever-expanding LET is an exciting prospect. "I really can't wait," she admitted. "The Curtis Cup was a great week and winning the Scottish Championship at Lossiemouth was a highlight of my career. But I think I'm ready to try and get my Tour card. I'll still be staying amateur until the end of the Qualifying School just in case I don't make it. But I definitely hope to be playing professionally next year."

A member of the Ellon McDonald Club, Thomson clearly knows her own mind and has never been afraid to shirk difficult decisions concerning her sporting career. A couple of years ago, she gained a scholarship to the US, but it wasn't long before she was on a plane back home.

"I went over to Jacksonville State University in Alabama, but I only stayed four months," she said. "I didn't feel I got enough coaching and didn't think my game was progressing to the next level. It just wasn't what I'd expected and so I decided to quit."

Following her return to the north-east, she made her mark by reaching the semi-finals of the Scottish Amateur, the last eight of the British Amateur and making her debut for Scotland in the Home Internationals. Her impressive 2007 season secured her call-up to the Curtis Cup squad.

And while Great Britain and Ireland didn't win the trophy at St Andrews in June, Thomson showed she has the ability and temperament to compete alongside the very best by winning a foursomes and halving her singles.

"The Curtis Cup was even better than I expected," she reflected. "The fact that it was played at the Old Course made it extra special and it was good to know you can cope with the pressure under the hardest of circumstances."

It was just five years ago that Thomson, who first dabbled in the game when she was 11, decided to take golf seriously. "I used to caddie for Dad and then started playing competitively myself at about 15," she explained. "For the past few years, I have known that I wanted to turn professional."

Coached by Neil Marr at Meldrum House Hotel and Golf Club in Aberdeenshire, Thomson is famed for her powerful hitting, while her short game has also made considerable improvement over the past 18 months. The task for Marr over the next few weeks is to make sure that his pupil's game is in condition to peak, somewhat unusually, in mid-January.

Compared to just a few seasons ago, the Ladies European Tour now offers far more money and a lot more tournaments. But the result of the Tour's greater appeal is that it is no easy matter to collect a membership card. And success in January will not guarantee a bountiful rookie season. Jenna Wilson, who was Thomson's predecessor as Scottish Amateur Champion, struggled to make her mark in her first year and finished 125th on the money list, earning around £8,000.

Thomson has discussed the ups and downs of Tour life with her former amateur team-mate, and is aware of the pitfalls. "It is totally different being a professional and having to do everything for yourself. There's also more pressure when you're playing for a living," she pointed out.

As for Thomson, her brief sojourn to Alabama hasn't soured her view of living an American dream. "Ideally, I'd like to spend a few years in Europe and then head for the US Tour. Playing on the LPGA would be completely different from university. For any woman professional, it is the ultimate experience."