From smashing course records to besting the Americans for the second time – 2022 was a year to remember for Dumbarton golfer Lorna McClymont.
The 22-year-old, who is one of 12 players enrolled on a high-performance scholarship at Stirling University, enjoyed a stellar year which included topping the R&A Student Tour Order of Merit and claiming top titles including the Irish Women’s Open.
In total, Lorna – a former Dumbarton Academy pupil – took home five titles, as well as a second place at the Scottish Women’s Amateur Championships at Trump International back in June.
The successes allowed her to sample some of the top events in European amateur golf – including competing at the prestigious Women’s Amateur Championship against the cream of the crop and taking part in her second Arnold Palmer Cup for the internationals against the might of the US.
The team event, which mimics the format of competitions such as the Ryder and Solheim Cups, sees men and women competing in fourball and foursome matches over the first two days, before finishing up with Sunday singles.
The 2022 competition took place at the Golf Club de Geneve, with Lorna claiming one and a half points as the internationals took home victory.
It was the second time Lorna had competed in the Palmer Cup after making her debut in Arkansas back in 2019.
Lorna said: “I feel like this year has been one of the best years in terms of experiences and performance-wise.
“The Irish, for example, was huge and it was nice to actually win a big one like that, it was quite good – especially birdieing the last three holes, which was pretty clutch.
“The R&A events earlier on in the year and end of last season, those wins were pretty good and having that consistency through them all and the final was pretty excellent as well, it was nice to win the Order of Merit and get on to the [Arnold] Palmer Cup team.
“That was a really good experience – I did in 2019 as well and it was really good then, it was America on that occasion and it was in Switzerland this time.
“I guess it’s just the atmosphere that makes it special, the team that you’re with, it’s something that I might not get in my team at Stirling because everyone is coming from different parts of the world, no one really knows each other beforehand – winning it again was pretty nice as well!”
Lorna’s season has taken her to some of the top courses in the game – including Royal Troon and Le Golf National in Paris – and she made waves back in September after carding an incredible 13-under round of 60 at Montrose on the way to claiming the R&A Student Tour Series title there.
“Without me knowing it, I’m gaining all of that experience of those events, not realising this is helping me a lot when I’m in them”, Lorna added.
“It puts you under the pressure of wanting to do well and teaches you how to deal with certain kinds of pressure.
“You have to take a minute when you step on to some of these places and think there’s so many worse things you could be doing.”
