JOHANNESBURG – Cape Town’s Cassidy Williams says while her Sunshine Ladies Tour rookie season was a learning curve with a lot of ups and downs, she is grateful for the opportunity to continue honing her skills through the Standard Bank Pro-Am Series.
“My rookie season was all about enjoying the experience,” she says, “learning lessons and exposing myself to tournament environments. I learned so much about the game and about myself, so, as tough as the season was, I still learned a lot.”
While the 24-year-old Stellenbosch Golf Club player admits to her struggles in her first season as a touring professional, she is also very grateful for having the Standard Bank Pro-Am Series to play in while the regular Sunshine Ladies Tour season hasn’t begun.
The Series is aimed at driving the development of female golfers from grassroots level while also empowering talented professionals, such as Williams, by creating more playing opportunities for them to keep their competitive edge while making a living in the process.
“The Standard Bank Pro-Am presents unique and exciting opportunities for the ladies,” adds Williams. “I’m from Cape Town and we don’t have any professional events down in Cape Town so I will fly up for these tournament at any given time. I can’t afford all the IGT Tour events while the Sunshine Ladies season is off, so a series like this is really helpful.
“We now have something to look forward to because you know you will be able to make a little bit of money. Standard Bank has made that first step that we have been longing for because for us players, all we can do is to speak on interviews about the support we need and play our best. It’s encouraging to see corporates coming in with such great support.”
Williams has played in two of the first three events in this seven-tournament series and while she didn’t record her best finish in the last event at Parkview Golf Club (13-over-par to finish T21), she has a lot to look forward to in this series.
The next event will be played at the former home of the South African Open Championship, Glendower Golf Club, towards the end of July and Williams intends to deliver an improved performance there.
Whatever the results will be and wherever she finishes in this series at the end of it all, the Standard Bank Pro-Am Series was launched at the right time for young players like Williams and will benefit many more in the future.
SA Tour Golf