Widely regarded as the “home of golf,” St. Andrews Links is one of the most prestigious courses in world. The Links, nestled deep in Scotland, hold numerous tournaments, boasting the best male and female golfers across the globe. The St. Andrews' website says, “it is every golfer's dream to walk on St. Andrews Links.”
If that holds true, Columbia junior Sara Ovadia had a dream come true this summer. Ovadia played in the St. Rule Trophy at St. Andrews, in the beginning of what was such a successful summer of golf, the 2007 Ivy League Individual Women's Golf Champion earned a #21 amateur ranking according to Golfweek Magazine.
The St Rule Trophy, an international tournament for amateur women golfers, was inaugurated in 1984. This prestigious event comprises 18 holes over the New Course and 36 holes over the Old Course. It is held annually at the end of May or beginning of June and previous winners include Annika Sorenstam and Catriona Matthew .
After the Rule, Ovadia played in the Women's Trans National, the Women's Western Invitational and the North-South Amateur. She advanced to the quarterfinals of the Trans National and the Western, while finishing top 20 in stroke-play at the North-South.
Ovadia put the summer into perspective. “The best experience I had playing golf this summer would probably have to be playing at the Old Course in St. Andrews. There's so much history there, and the tournament I played, the St. Rule Trophy, is one of the most prestigious tournaments in Europe. The greatest woman golfer to ever play the game to this point, Annika Sorenstam, had won it when she was an amateur. I can't tell you how honored I was to play there.”
“Of anything I did this summer, I was most proud of tying for 20th in the stroke-play qualifying for matchplay at the North-South Amateur. The field was filled with the top 156 college players from around the country,” said Ovadia. “It was the strongest field I played in all summer in America. I told my parents before the event began that I didn't like my chances of making the top 64 to qualify for match-play, so accomplishing that goal and then some was a real confidence builder.”
Columbia's head women's golf coach Kari Williams knows that this summer experience will only help the junior Ivy League Champion.
“Sara committed to a difficult summer schedule and has been working on her golf game tirelessly since winning the Ivy Championships,” said Coach Williams. “She continually demonstrates a commitment to excellence and this experience is only going to help her fine-tune her skill.”
“I think I gained a lot of confidence in my game and abilities as a golfer,” Ovadia said. “This was the fifth summer I've dedicated to playing golf on the national level and I've been really proud of improving my game every year. I expect that this continued improvement should lead to more success for myself and the team this season.”
