McVeigh just going from strength to strength on the links

THE IRISH TIMES/IRISH SPORTS COUNCIL  SPORTSWOMAN AWARDS:IF IT wasn't for the exploits of the Republic of Ireland under-17 team in April, when they became the first Irish women's side, at any level, to qualify for the finals of a major football championship, Danielle McVeigh would already have a Sportswoman of the Month award to her name.

Like the under-17s, though, McVeigh simply went from strength to strength after April. While the footballers went on to beat reigning European champions Germany in the semi-finals, before losing on penalties to – of all people – Spain in the final, the 22-year-old from Annalong, Co Down, continued to produce performances that explain why she is regarded as one of the finest amateurs in the world.

It was in April that McVeigh won the Helen Holm Scottish Amateur Strokeplay Championship at Royal Troon, one of the most prestigious events in the women’s game. That victory left her as the holder of the Scottish, British (2009) and Welsh (2009) strokeplay titles, all at the same time.

The manner of her Scottish and British triumphs also said much about her character and tenacity. McVeigh trailed by three shots with just five holes to play at Royal Troon, and was five strokes adrift with eight holes to play at Royal Aberdeen last August. You don’t, then, write off Danielle McVeigh.

Not surprisingly, she, along with the Maguire twins, Lisa and Leona, made it on to the British and Irish Curtis Cup team for last month’s match in Massachusetts, where the US maintained a winning streak that dates back to 1998.

McVeigh, though, emerged from the match with her already burgeoning reputation enhanced, picking up 2½ points out of five in her debut in the competition. The highlight of her weekend was a comprehensive, 3 and 2 victory in her singles contest with US Amateur champion Jennifer Song, who has since turned professional.

Captain Mary McKenna described McVeigh as the team’s “tower of strength”, who offered endless encouragement and leadership to her younger colleagues. “Remarkable,” she said of the courage McVeigh displayed, just a month after the death of her father, Tom, at just 53.

Tom introduced his daughter to the game, and by 2005 she was named Irish Junior Golfer of the Year. Her promise earned her a golf scholarship in Texas (like her sister Shauna), and that potential began to be realised in 2007 when she won the World Student title in Thailand.

She returned home two years later and joined the Paddy Harrington Memorial Golf Scholarship programme at NUI Maynooth, where she is in her final year studying business and management.

She may well be back in the US soon, as she is expected to turn professional and attempt to secure a card on the LPGA Tour.

You’d have to suspect the Sportswoman of the Month for June award won’t be her last.

MONTHLY AWARD WINNERS SO FAR

January

Aoife Hoey, Claire Bergin

(Bobsleigh)

After finishing in the top 10 at the World Junior Championships last season, the athletes made it their goal to become the first Irish competitors to qualify for the women's Olympic bobsleigh. They succeeded, making it to Vancouver.

February

Jessica Kurten

(Equestrian)

The Antrim rider has been in exceptional form again this year, two World Cup qualifying series victories giving her the perfect start to 2010.

March

Katie Walsh

(Horse racing)

Walsh had a never-to-be-forgotten time at Cheltenham, winning the National Hunt Chase and the Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle, her first winners at the festival.

April

Dora Gorman

(Soccer)

The Galway teenager, who is also a hockey player and Gaelic footballer of note, captained the Irish under-17 team to the final of the European Championships where they lost on penalties to Spain. The highlight of their run came in the semi-finals when they beat reigning champions Germany.

May

Valerie Mulcahy

(Gaelic football)

Mulcahy was at her prolific best in the National League final, scoring 1-6 out of Cork's 2-10 against Galway to help her county to their third league title in a row.