Bronte Law: The Curtis Cup star on GB&I, Alison Lee and Annika Sorenstam
Curtis Cup records, taking calls from Annika Sorenstam and winning trophy after trophy – it’s been quite a year for Bronte Law. The 21-year-old is indisputably the queen of English amateur golf. She led the charge, going a perfect 5-0, as Great Britain & Ireland regained the Curtis Cup from the Americans at Dun Laoghaire, in June.
Law’s outstanding season at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) saw her win the annual Annika Award, presented to the collegiate system’s outstanding female golfer.
In 11 strokeplay starts, she won three events and recorded four other top-four finishes. She also competed in the ANA Inspiration and has received an exemption into the Evian Championship, the year’s final Major, as well as striking gold with England at the European Team Championships.
As Law prepares to cap a memorable season, she took time to look back with LG…
Congratulations on a brilliant Curtis Cup…
“I was playing really good golf going into it so it wasn’t something I was surprised about. It’s a really nice achievement to have (going 5-0). It was obviously really special because the Curtis Cup has been something that has meant a lot to me over the years – having won two of them. It has a special place in my heart. It is something that I am proud of and I will definitely carry it with me for the rest of my life.”
It looked like a wonderful atmosphere…
“There were a lot of people there. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the crowd couldn’t have been any more supportive. It created a really good atmosphere for good golf – not just for us but for the Americans as well. Coming down the 18th and having everyone watching was really cool.
“I thrive when I have got more people watching. I had a test of that at the ANA Inspiration and I just love being in that situation. Going into professional golf, that’s something I look forward to.”
Has your performance in Ireland sunk in?
“The first thing was for the team to win. My job was to get a win for the team. Obviously to fi nish with a win, a really nice win, reflects my experience in the Curtis Cup over the years. I am really good friends with (playing partners) Olivia (Mehaffey) and Leona (Maguire).
“I played with Leona when we won in 2012 so that partnership was not new. It was very familiar and we were very happy playing with each other. There was never really any stress and we just went out and played good golf. With Olivia, it was my job to make sure she had fun and stayed calm.
“We spoke about it before every match and said ‘let’s make sure we have fun before anything else’. It definitely worked well. I think I was very lucky with my two partners and they are definitely two players that are going to achieve very good things in the future.”
Did you enjoy working with captain Elaine Farquharson- Black?
“She was a very good captain. She knew our capabilities and she told us to treat it like any other tournament. She wanted us to prepare how we wanted to do and everyone was very comfortable.”
You’ve enjoyed huge success at UCLA. What have been the highlights?
“When I went as a freshman, I was in the same team as Alison Lee and that was a really good thing for me to experience. She went out there and showed me that it doesn’t matter what age you are, whether you are a freshman, a sophomore or a junior, you can achieve the highest levels in collegiate golf from any age.
“Having her on the team, and training with her, and experiencing everything she did, seeing how she prepares and how hard she works, made me realise I could do the same. If I can compare myself to her, I didn’t think we were really different and that spurred me on.”
How special was it to win the Annika award?
“Annika called me herself. That was pretty amazing. She is someone I have looked up to my whole life. Watching her playing in the Weetabix at St Annes and then to take a phone call from her and be associated with her is very special. It is something I will definitely remember for the rest of my life. She congratulated me on a great year and she said I would be a good representative for the award. That was really cool.”
Will you finish your sociology degree at UCLA?
“I will. Whether it happens this year or in pieces, I am not quite sure. I will be going back for the first part of the year and will be playing for the team. You never know what’s going to happen in the future. I have seen some people get injured. You can’t go off how you are playing now as to what the next 20 to 30 years are going to hold.”
How was the experience of competing in a Major championship?
“It was amazing. I learned a lot and it showed in my results afterwards. I think in the four events after the ANA the worst finish I had was second. I learned it was important to stay calm on the course, even when things don’t go well.
“Even when you might feel like you are calm, you have to make sure of your internal condition. The thing I took away from it was how you have to bounce back from the bad holes – and not necessarily as you might see it by getting a birdie. It is more in the way you mentally bounce back and are in a position where you are not going to make a further error immediately afterwards.”