Introducing the five PGA Members who will represent Great Britain and Ireland in the Women’s PGA Cup at Twin Warriors, New Mexico.
The second Women’s PGA Cup – a team competition for women PGA Professionals from around the world - takes place this week in New Mexico from October 24-29, 2022.
The five-strong Great Britain & Ireland team will be led by 2022 PGA Captain Sarah Bennett. The team comprises of Heather MacRae, by virtue of her winning the Women's PGA Championship in 2021, Jessica Smart, winner of the 2022 Women's PGA Professional Championship, Suzanne Dickens, runner-up in this year's Women's Professional Championship. The final two places in the team went to OCEANTEE WPGA Series winner, Ali Gray, and 'Captain’s Pick' Alison Nicholas MBE.
The Captain Sarah Bennett
Role: Captain of The PGA and Head Teaching Professional at Three Rivers, Essex
“Compared to the PGA Cup (where Sarah served as an assistant to Captain DJ Russell last month), I think the main thing for me is that the two events are very, very different. Obviously, I’m not going to be putting pairings together.
"I want to portray positivity and let the players know that they are all here for a reason – and really make sure that they understand before we go out there the areas to work on to get really sharp for playing in Albuquerque.
“I want to be very motivational to them and very level-headed. If they start to get a bit intense, or whatever, then I can say, look, you
know what we’ve done, we’ve got some time to work on it, let’s do it together and understand what we’re doing.
“My main job, and I’ve done quite a lot of work already on it, is looking at the course set up and relaying that to the players to say that this is the course length, and these are the areas we need to work on. So don’t worry that it’s 300 yards longer, because you mustn’t forget the altitude – you don’t need to be rushing off to the gym.”
Suzanne Dickens
Age: 51
Role: PGA Professional at Thorpe Wood, Peterborough
Previous Women’s PGA Cup appearance: 2019
Career highlights: WPGA Championship winner 2014; WPGA Order of Merit winner.
Family: Craig (partner)
Interests: Walking Seve, my energetic springer spaniel
Captain’s view: “Suzanne is a steady Eddie. She hits it down the middle and very rarely misses fairways. She has a great short game and a superb attitude.”
Alison Gray
Age: 50
Role: PGA Professional at Ormskirk
Previous WPGA Cup appearance: 2019
Career highlights: WPGA Championship winner 2002
Family: Geoff (husband), Georgia and Lucy (daughters)
Interests: Photography
Captain’s view: ”Ali’s not the longest hitter, but she’s very straight and very good with her woods, which is going to be critical because she’ll probably have a few more woods than others. Her low ball flight will be good if it’s windy.”
Heather MacRae
Age: 39
Role: PGA Professional representing Heather MacRae Golf and Gleneagles
Previous WPGA Cup appearance: 2019
Career highlights: WPGA Champs winner 2016, 19, 20, 21 (joint-record); 36-Hole Order of Merit Challenge 2022 (first female to win a Tartan Tour event)
Family: Donna (sister), Andrew (brother)
Captain’s view: “Heather can make lots of birdies. I’ll look to her to put that low, sub-par round in. Heather’s obviously a long hitter and she’s playing a lot at the moment so she’ll certainly be match fit.”
Jessica Smart
Age: 30
Role: PGA Professional at Saunton
Previous WPGA Cup appearances: Debut
Career highlights: WPGA Championship winner 2022
Family: Matt (husband)
Interests: Travelling and going to the gym
Captain’s view: “Jess is a really exciting player with no fear. I expect her to have a really good week. She’s a very accomplished player at such a young age and she’s also won some events this year.”
Alison Nicholas MBE
Age: 60
Role: PGA Professional at Redditch
Previous WPGA Cup appearances: Debut
Career highlights: 1997 US Women’s Open Champion; 1987 Women’s British Open winner; two-time Solheim Cup captain; six Solheim Cup appearances
Family: Mother and two sisters
Interests: Most sports, kayaking and exploring the countryside
Captain’s view: “What can you say? Ali will be champing at the bit and ready to prove a point. And she’s obviously experienced in the States.”
CLICK HERE to find out more about the Women's PGA Cup.
CLICK HERE to follow live updates from the event at Twin Warriors, New Mexico.
