On Sunday Martina Gillen retained her playing rights for the 2011 season at La Manga in the fifth round of the Ladies European Tour Final Q School and will join, Rebecca Coakley and Hazel Kavanagh, as one of the three Irish players on the LET circuit.
Tara Delaney was unable to retain her card and LET hopeful, Amateur Danielle McVeigh fell short in her campaign last Saturday in LA Manga.
After a mixed season Gillen showed her mettle at the season finale in the United Arab Emirates as she was the only Irish player to make the cut at the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters ending the weekend with a cheque for €1,475 in a share of 58th place.
As a product of Beaverstown Golf Club since joining the Junior Section at an early age back in 1993, she was encouraged by her Father, Larry, a Member of the Club and in his time a regular on the Longford team of the 1960’s.
By 1997 Gillen was part of a successful Leinster Inter-provincial team and in 1999; she won the Munster, Connaught and Midlands Girls Championships. A year later she retained the Connaught & Midlands titles and went on to become Irish Girls Champion.
That same year Martina was accepted by Kent State University on a golfing scholarship and over the course of the next few years the college Gillen played the inter-state competitions winning 6 college tournaments becoming a two-time All-American Honourable Mention.
Martina Gillen graduated in 2004 with a Business Management degree.
During her college years, Martina continued to “commute” across the Atlantic competing in National competitions also representing Leinster and Ireland in the major events. In 2002 and she was runner-up in the Irish Ladies Stroke play Championship and in 2003 won the Irish Ladies Close Championship. Two years later Gillen added the Scottish Ladies Stroke play title.
In 2005 Martina was part of the winning Great Britain & Ireland team that defeated Europe in the Vagliano Trophy at Chantilly Golf Club and her dominance of domestic honours continued in 2006 when she won the Irish Ladies Open Stroke play Championship at Co. Sligo Golf Club.
Martina has represented Ireland at all levels and has been a regular on the Irish international team since 1997. Her crowning achievement in the amateur ranks was in July 2006 when she was selected on the Great Britain & Ireland team for the Curtis Cup in Bandon Dunes, USA.
Despite finishing on the losing side, Martina performed creditably and secured several crucial points.
In 2007, Martina turned professional when she qualified, with limited exemptions, for the Ladies European Tour playing 14 tournaments in her maiden season with notable results in the Portuguese, Welsh, Scottish and Dubai Opens. In November 2007, she retained her card for the 2008 Tour when she finished equal 4th at the Q-School in Bologna, Italy and the higher placing allowed her compete in more events in 2008 than in her Rookie year.
In 2008 Martina finished the Tour in 46th place in the Exemption Ranking and 50th place in the New Star Money List with 6th place finish in the Portuguese Open, 10th, in the English Open, 11th in the Welsh Open and then 11th in the UNIQA Golf Open.
Amateur
2003 Irish Close Champion,
2005 Scottish Stroke play champion
2005 Vagliano Team
2006 Irish Stroke plays Champion
Represented GB&I in the 2006 Curtis Cup at Bandon Dunes, USA
Professional Highlights - 2009
Martina played in 16 tournaments and recorded a season-best tie for 26th at the AIB Ladies Irish Open. She retained her card with a tie for 63rd at the season-ending Omega Dubai Ladies Masters.
Martina finished 87th on the Henderson Money List with earnings of €16,567.75. She also tied for 10th at the Comunitat Valenciana European Nations Cup, representing Ireland alongside Rebecca Coakley.
In 2010 Martina Gillen finished 105th on The Henderson Money List with €15,829.25.
Retained Tour Card for 2011 after finishing T18th at La Manga with rounds of 76, 74, 76, 69 and 75.
Fact file
Date of Birth: January 7th 1982
Attachment: Team Ireland Golf
Place of Birth: Dublin, Ireland
Residence: Co. Cavan Ireland
Turned Pro: 27th November 2006
Exemption Status Top 80 from Exempt Rankings
Ladies European Tour Statistics
Career Earnings (Euro) 81,039.39
Tournaments Played 64
Tournaments Won 0
Top Ten Finishes 2
Completed Rounds 144
Lowest Round 66
Stroke Average 74.06
Total vs Par +287
Average vs Par +2.08
