THE records continue to tumble for remarkable Victorian amateur Nadene Gole.
The 55-year-old has been playing the best golf of her life for the past couple of years and last month capped it all off when she grabbed another slice of history.
Gole became the first Australian to win the R & A Senior Women’s Amateur Championship on a course she later described as tough as anything she had ever played, a windswept Saunton Golf Club in Devon, England.
Even then she had to survive a sudden-death playoff with defending champion England’s Jackie Foster.
Her scores over 18-over-par 311 with four rounds of 76-81-79-75 show just how difficult the course played, with waist-high rough combined with strong coastal winds offering conditions that tested every golfer’s skill, mental fortitude, strategy and resilience.
A world-class field featured six of the top nine ranked senior women golfers from across the globe.
Certainly Gole’s success at the second playoff hole was a story of determination, perseverance and survival.
“If anyone looks at the scores then they can just disregard them because this was the hardest golf course I’ve ever played,” said Gole, a member of the Australian team that won the inaugural Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Women’s Senior Amateur team title in Malaysia in 2022.
“I think I was lying when I said the rough was knee high – it’s actually waist high in many places.
“I only hit three or four bad shots all week and I took a couple of triple-bogeys.
“I began with triple bogey (in the final round), but I just kept hanging in there.”
Nadene Gole claimed another significant senior title with a win at the R & A Senior Women’s Amateur Championship.
Gole actually began the final round three shots behind Foster and two shots in arrears of fellow Australian Sue Wooster.
A disastrous triple bogey at the first hole left Gole six shots behind and at that stage victory certainly looked a bridge too far.
Undeterred by that setback, the determined Victorian rebounded, covering the remaining 17 holes in two-under par, hitting 16 out of 17 greens in regulation.
The impressive display of ball-striking landed Gole in a playoff with Foster.
And at the second extra hole, the 18th, Gole’s tee shot split the fairway.
Her five-hybrid approach shot finished 12 feet from the pin, a testament to her precision under pressure.
Foster was unable to recover from an errant drive, leaving her in long grass as Gole secured a dramatic win.
The victory was particularly sweet for Gole, who finished runner-up to Foster at last year’s event at Woodall Spa, England.
“I was with Jackie last year so I know what it’s like to lose,” said Gole.
“She’s a great player and for me to come on top this year is in many ways one of my biggest wins in golf.
“The fact no Australian had ever won meant it was on my radar and was a huge driver in me coming over again, because it’s a long way to travel.
“It’s a thrill, and to share it with my husband Sam makes it an even bigger thrill.
“I also had a lot of people back at my club (The Victoria Golf Club) who have supported me to come over here the last two years.
“I owe them a huge thanks. This is unbelievable. What a week.”
Gole’s journey to this historic win was marked by an extraordinary series of accomplishments.
Since entering senior competition in September 2022 after a 20-year hiatus from golf to raise her two children, Gole has amassed a staggering 14 victories at world-ranking events from 25 starts.
She has held the position of the world No. 1 ranked senior woman amateur golfer for 72 consecutive weeks, dating back to February 22, 2023.
In 2023, Gole enjoyed an unprecedented year by becoming the only golfer ever, at any age level, to win both the Australian National Championship and all six State Championships in the same year.
That year, she also demonstrated her prowess on the international stage by securing national titles in New Zealand and Scotland.
These impressive achievements did not go unnoticed. Gole was awarded the Victorian Sport Awards ‘Masters Athlete of the Year’ for 2023.
Her victory at the R & A Senior Women’s Amateur Championship earned Gole an invitation to next year’s US Senior Women’s Open to compete against the world’s best senior professional golfers including World Hall of Famer’s such as Annika Soresntam, Karrie Webb and Laura Davies.
Gole’s fellow Australian Sue Wooster, last year’s APGC Women’s Senior Amateur champion, finished fifth.
