England Golf Ambassador and alumni Bronte Law was on hand to present winners of the 2024 England Golf Performance Awards on Monday 18 November at the National Golf Centre, Woodhall Spa.
Bronte Law (left) pictured with award winner Paul Ashwell (centre) and England Golf CEO Jeremy Tomlinson (right)
Law, who won the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco on the Ladies European Tour earlier this year, returned to the home of England Golf where she came through the ranks, handing out the Girls’ Region of the Year and Boys’ Region of the Year awards.
The closed event, attended by over 60 people across the England Golf Performance Pathway, saw five awards handed out in total, including the Coach of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, and the Annual Award for Excellence in Coaching.
Find out about each of the winners below.
John Watson – Coach of the Year
2024 has been a year to remember for Cheshire’s John Watson and the England Girls’ teams. They had wins in all Under 16 matches against Spain, Switzerland, and Ireland, while there were individual player wins at the Scottish Girls’ Open Championship and Irish Girls’ Open Championship for Chloe Tarbard and Sadie Adams respectively. There was also a European Young Masters bronze medal for Team England, with an individual gold medal for Annabel Peaford – winning with a score of -21.
It was a closely-fought battle at the Girls’ Home Internationals in Wales this year, but the England Girls came out on top to secure the win, while their biggest achievement in years, was winning a gold medal at the European Girls Team Championships in July.
John, who plays out of Styal Golf Club, was instrumental in creating a cohesive team to compete for the gold medal in Sweden, with the team making their first final in 11 years but being able to go one better and beating Germany in the final to win their first gold since 2005.
All the hard work over the winter truly paid off and it’s been clear the impact John has made to the programme in his first year as a National Coach.
The closed event, attended by over 60 people across the England Golf Performance Pathway, saw five awards handed out in total, including the Coach of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, and the Annual Award for Excellence in Coaching.
Find out about each of the winners below.
John Watson – Coach of the Year
2024 has been a year to remember for Cheshire’s John Watson and the England Girls’ teams. They had wins in all Under 16 matches against Spain, Switzerland, and Ireland, while there were individual player wins at the Scottish Girls’ Open Championship and Irish Girls’ Open Championship for Chloe Tarbard and Sadie Adams respectively. There was also a European Young Masters bronze medal for Team England, with an individual gold medal for Annabel Peaford – winning with a score of -21.
It was a closely-fought battle at the Girls’ Home Internationals in Wales this year, but the England Girls came out on top to secure the win, while their biggest achievement in years, was winning a gold medal at the European Girls Team Championships in July.
John, who plays out of Styal Golf Club, was instrumental in creating a cohesive team to compete for the gold medal in Sweden, with the team making their first final in 11 years but being able to go one better and beating Germany in the final to win their first gold since 2005.
All the hard work over the winter truly paid off and it’s been clear the impact John has made to the programme in his first year as a National Coach.
East Midlands – Girls’ Region of the Year (Steve Astle, Paul Rymer, Jack Wells)
This year has seen two players from the East Midlands get England call-ups to play key roles in the Under 16 Matches v Switzerland and Ireland. Individual wins came from Lila Bisset at the Northampton Tigress event and Sir Henry Cooper Championships, the latter which included a course record round of -8 (65) – and a hole-in-one. Lila also represented England at the R&A Junior Open this year at Kilmarnock.
Another key player in the squad is Elizabeth Wilson, who finished 4th at the English Girls’ Open Championship, was winner of the Bronte Law Junior Series at Moor Allerton with another course record of 68 (-5), and was a key member of the winning Nottinghamshire team which won the Women’s County Finals in September, alongside young Millie Marsh also in the squad.
Amelia Wan was also a key member of the winning European Girls’ Team this year and is a member of the East Midlands squad completing the DiSE Programme. For the 2024-25 season, Lila and Elizabeth have joined the National Girls’ Squad.
This year has seen two players from the East Midlands get England call-ups to play key roles in the Under 16 Matches v Switzerland and Ireland. Individual wins came from Lila Bisset at the Northampton Tigress event and Sir Henry Cooper Championships, the latter which included a course record round of -8 (65) – and a hole-in-one. Lila also represented England at the R&A Junior Open this year at Kilmarnock.
Another key player in the squad is Elizabeth Wilson, who finished 4th at the English Girls’ Open Championship, was winner of the Bronte Law Junior Series at Moor Allerton with another course record of 68 (-5), and was a key member of the winning Nottinghamshire team which won the Women’s County Finals in September, alongside young Millie Marsh also in the squad.
Amelia Wan was also a key member of the winning European Girls’ Team this year and is a member of the East Midlands squad completing the DiSE Programme. For the 2024-25 season, Lila and Elizabeth have joined the National Girls’ Squad.
Bronte Law with Paul Rymer (right)
Yorkshire – Boys’ Region of the Year (Steven Robinson, Phil Woodcock, Mark Campbell)
2023-24 was a great year for Steven Robinson, Phil Woodcock, Mark Campbell, and the Yorkshire Regional Boys’ Squad. Three of the squad received international caps at Under 16 level, with Tom Hartshorne competing twice, once in September at the Italian Boys’ Championship, and once in early October at Burnham and Berrow, lining up in the challenge match v Ireland.
His Teesside companion, Alex Boyes, achieved three caps, joining Tom for both the Italian Boys’ Championship and the Under 16 fixture v Ireland, but adding the European Young Masters in Slovakia to his record for 2023-24.
Finally, the youthful George Cooper was also present at the Italian Boys’ Championship, completing the trio of Yorkshire players who received international caps in the past year.
Furthermore, 2023-24 saw the Yorkshire Boys’ Squad achieve consistent success throughout the England Boys’ Order of Merit schedule. It was a strong season across the whole squad, with highlights coming at the North of England Under 16 Boys, with three players inside the top-five, a top-15 finish at the Reid Trophy, a top-10 finish at the European Young Masters, a top-five finish at the Peter McEvoy, and a top-five finish at the Carris Trophy. Five of the Regional Squad helped comprise the Yorkshire Boys’ County Team which emerged victorious in the 2024 Boys’ County Finals at Teignmouth in late August.
2023-24 was a great year for Steven Robinson, Phil Woodcock, Mark Campbell, and the Yorkshire Regional Boys’ Squad. Three of the squad received international caps at Under 16 level, with Tom Hartshorne competing twice, once in September at the Italian Boys’ Championship, and once in early October at Burnham and Berrow, lining up in the challenge match v Ireland.
His Teesside companion, Alex Boyes, achieved three caps, joining Tom for both the Italian Boys’ Championship and the Under 16 fixture v Ireland, but adding the European Young Masters in Slovakia to his record for 2023-24.
Finally, the youthful George Cooper was also present at the Italian Boys’ Championship, completing the trio of Yorkshire players who received international caps in the past year.
Furthermore, 2023-24 saw the Yorkshire Boys’ Squad achieve consistent success throughout the England Boys’ Order of Merit schedule. It was a strong season across the whole squad, with highlights coming at the North of England Under 16 Boys, with three players inside the top-five, a top-15 finish at the Reid Trophy, a top-10 finish at the European Young Masters, a top-five finish at the Peter McEvoy, and a top-five finish at the Carris Trophy. Five of the Regional Squad helped comprise the Yorkshire Boys’ County Team which emerged victorious in the 2024 Boys’ County Finals at Teignmouth in late August.
Philip Woodcock (left) and Steven Robinson (right) presented with award by Bronte Law
Ali Horne – Volunteer of the Year
Essex’s Ali Horne was a committed Regional Manager. Like so many of England Golf’s volunteers, he went over and above with the time he devoted to the role, was ever-present at sessions, and supported coach Chris Jenkins with all the young players coming through. This region performed well under his tenure, producing England players of the likes of Tyler Weaver, Will Horne, and more recently, Charlie Rusbridge.
A member of Orsett Golf Club, Ali demonstrated foresight and perseverance when it came to the entry criteria for elite players under the new WHS™ system. It was the initial concerns raised by him that led in time to the changes to England Golf tournament entries and the checks and balances that have been put in place for considering general play scores in handicap records.
Ali was still fighting on behalf of his players and county right through to the final days of his life. England Golf’s Performance and Championships teams were inundated with emails and requests for references as they leant on the NCAA compliance officers to give permission for two players to come back and represent Essex at the England Men’s County Finals this year. It was another battle won, and the fairytale was completed when one of the players in question, his son Will Horne, holed the crucial winning putt for Essex in their victory at Whittington Heath.
Ali’s wife Jacqueline was welcomed to Woodhall Spa to accept the award, while a minute’s applause was honoured to celebrate the life of the 2024 Volunteer of the Year, for his tremendous services to England Golf.
Essex’s Ali Horne was a committed Regional Manager. Like so many of England Golf’s volunteers, he went over and above with the time he devoted to the role, was ever-present at sessions, and supported coach Chris Jenkins with all the young players coming through. This region performed well under his tenure, producing England players of the likes of Tyler Weaver, Will Horne, and more recently, Charlie Rusbridge.
A member of Orsett Golf Club, Ali demonstrated foresight and perseverance when it came to the entry criteria for elite players under the new WHS™ system. It was the initial concerns raised by him that led in time to the changes to England Golf tournament entries and the checks and balances that have been put in place for considering general play scores in handicap records.
Ali was still fighting on behalf of his players and county right through to the final days of his life. England Golf’s Performance and Championships teams were inundated with emails and requests for references as they leant on the NCAA compliance officers to give permission for two players to come back and represent Essex at the England Men’s County Finals this year. It was another battle won, and the fairytale was completed when one of the players in question, his son Will Horne, holed the crucial winning putt for Essex in their victory at Whittington Heath.
Ali’s wife Jacqueline was welcomed to Woodhall Spa to accept the award, while a minute’s applause was honoured to celebrate the life of the 2024 Volunteer of the Year, for his tremendous services to England Golf.
England Golf Deputy Performance Director Stephen Burnett (left), Jacqueline Horne (with trophy), Bronte Law and Chris Jenkins (East Region Boys' Coach)
Paul Ashwell – Award for Excellence in Coaching
Cambridgeshire’s Paul Ashwell was recognised for his outstanding contribution to coaching within the England programme over the past 25 years.
Having started as East Region Boys’ Coach in 1999, he was later named National Under 18 Boys’ Coach from 2004-2009. He helped the Boys qualify for two World Championships in Japan where England finished 3rd and 5th, as well as playing a key role in the side earning a silver medal and a bronze medal at the European Boys’ Team Championships.
Paul, who plays out of St Ives (Hunts) Golf Club, was England A-Squad Support Coach from 2009 until he was appointed A Squad Coach in 2012, and has more recently become Support Coach to the England Men’s Squad.
His highlights have seen England win the Boys’ Home Internationals and Costa Ballena Championship, while he provided support to Scott Gregory in winning the British Amateur Championship. He was also Lead Coach for England against France in their international match at St Nom La Breteche in 2022, and has become a PGA Master Professional.
Cambridgeshire’s Paul Ashwell was recognised for his outstanding contribution to coaching within the England programme over the past 25 years.
Having started as East Region Boys’ Coach in 1999, he was later named National Under 18 Boys’ Coach from 2004-2009. He helped the Boys qualify for two World Championships in Japan where England finished 3rd and 5th, as well as playing a key role in the side earning a silver medal and a bronze medal at the European Boys’ Team Championships.
Paul, who plays out of St Ives (Hunts) Golf Club, was England A-Squad Support Coach from 2009 until he was appointed A Squad Coach in 2012, and has more recently become Support Coach to the England Men’s Squad.
His highlights have seen England win the Boys’ Home Internationals and Costa Ballena Championship, while he provided support to Scott Gregory in winning the British Amateur Championship. He was also Lead Coach for England against France in their international match at St Nom La Breteche in 2022, and has become a PGA Master Professional.
ENDS
Contact details:
Tom Vale, Press & Media Manager
Tel: 07912 240850
Email: tom.vale@englandgolf.org
www.englandgolf.org
Contact details:
Tom Vale, Press & Media Manager
Tel: 07912 240850
Email: tom.vale@englandgolf.org
www.englandgolf.org