After a 2024 to remember, Sara Byrne won a final accolade last week when she was named the the IGWA Women’s Amateur of the Year.
The Douglas golfer won the award in 2023 and won again for 2024 after another impressive set of performances.
The highlight for 2024 should be the key role she played in Gret Britain & Ireland’s win in the Curtis Cup in September.
That has been talked about for the past two weeks following the Sky Sports screening of a programme about the memorable weekend in London.
Byrne turned professional just after September’s Curtis Cup, but before that she made the most of her final eight months of 2024.
The year started with her final semester in University of Miami, and this was marked with two wins and four other top ten finishes.
She followed that with an impressive performance at the Women’s Amateur in Portmarnock, reaching the final 32.
Byrne also made her final appearance for Ireland as an amateur before going unbeaten over the weekend of the Curtis Cup in GB&I’s win.
The Irish Golf Writers announced five award winners before Christmas. Royal Dublin’s Max Kennedy was named Men’s Amateur of the Year.
Sara Byrne of Great Britain & Ireland lines up a putt during the Sunday Singles on Match Day Three of the Curtis Cup at Sunningdale Golf Club on September 1, 2024 in Sunningdale, England. (Photo by Tom Dulat/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
The University of Louisville senior was runner-up in the East of Ireland Championship and the European Amateur Championship before going on to complete all three stages at the DP World Tour Qualifying School, securing a European Challenge Tour card.
Tom McKibbin, like Byrne was an award winner in 2023 and he won the Men’s Professional Award for a second time.
McKibbin enjoyed another memorable year in just his second season on the DP World Tour, finishing 18th in the Race to Dubai to clinch one of ten dual memberships of the PGA Tour for 2025.
Lauren Walsh was named Women’s Professional of the Year as she marked her rookie season by finishing 18th in the Order of Merit on the Ladies European Tour.
Wicklow’s Eamonn Darcy will receive the 2024 Distinguished Services to Golf Award, recognising his important contribution to the professional game in Ireland.
The awards which are supported by AIG, will be presented to the winners at a lunch at the 5-star Anantara at The Marker Dublin Hotel in Grand Canal Dock in Dublin in January.
Sara Byrne’s whirlwind year finally came to a close two weeks when she was in Morocco for the Ladies European Tour final qualifying.
She was coming off the back of final qualifying for the LPGA in Alabama where she won a card on the secondary.
The Douglas golfer capped off a magnificent year by finishing in the top 20 at final qualifying.
After returning from the US last week, Sara headed to Morocco where a field of 151 hopefuls were looking to finish in the top 20.
Byrne was solid all week, hovering inside the top 15, keeping her hopes very much alive.
Byrne went around the course in a body free 69 on Friday, adding four birdies to her haul of 17 from the first four rounds.
That level of scoring will stand her in good stead next year as she takes on the best players in Europe and from across the world.
At the start of play Byrne was in 13th place, two shots inside the score to win a tour card.
At the end of play she ended up in 15th place, three inside the number.
Her three birdies on the front nine gave her some breathing space and when she added another on the par five 13th, it was just a case of bringing it home. Five pars followed and Byrne secured her full playing rights for next year.
The card will mean she has plenty of opportunities to play between the LET and the Epson Tourn in the US.
The 2025 season will kick off in February with the Lalla Meryem Cup at the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat, Morocco, before travelling to Saudi Arabia for the Aramco Series.
After that it’s on to Australia for a three week swing before heading to South Africa, South Korea and then starting the European leg.
That includes the KPMG Women’s Irish Open which takes place in Carton House in July.
