Cathy Panton-Lewis on proving her dad wrong in pro ranks and setting up LET

Cathy Panton-Lewis was born into golf. Her dad, John, after all, was one of the legendary figures in Scottish golf, meaning she had a hard act to follow in the game.

Cathy Panton-Lewis pictured after a joint-win in the WPGA One Day Series tournament at Chestfield Golf Club in 2014. Picture: Steve Bardens/Getty Images.

But, to her credit, Panton-Lewis enjoyed a successful career herself, winning the British Ladies Amateur Championship before going on to add 14 Ladies European Tour victories.

She was actually one of the founder members of the LET before winning its first Order of Merit, and here the 65-year-old takes a trip down memory lane in an exclusive interview.

When did you first pick up a golf club?

Cathy Panton-Lewis tees off in the Titleist & FootJoy Women's PGA Professional Championship at Trentham Golf Club in 2019. Picture: Richard Martin-Roberts/Getty Images.

CPL: I was playing by the time I was three years old. My father had a video of me with my cut down John Letters clubs. We were living in the clubhouse at Glenbervie, so the golf course was my back garden. The 14th hole at Glenbervie comes right up to the clubhouse. So, when I came home from school, I could easily go out and play four holes in the evening.

Was it inevitable that you were destined for a career in the game?

CPL: Not really. I did well at school and then went to Edinburgh University. I started off doing maths and geography then, after the first year, I decided to concentrate on geography as I found that more interesting. Then, in my last year at university, I won the British Amateur. That was a bit of a shock, to be honest, as I was supposed to be writing my dissertation and I went to that event to have a week off, really. That led to me playing in the Espirito Santo Trophy in Portugal later that year and, when I graduated from university, I ended up bottling beer for Scottish & Newcastle in the west end of Edinburgh (laughing).

Did you have a career in mind at that time?

Cathy Panton-Lewis, far, left, was among seven of the nine founding WPGA Members who attended a lunch at The Belfry in celebration of them becoming PGA honorary members in 2017. Also pictured are, from left: Jane Forrest, Jane Denman (nee Chapman), Maxine Burton, Denise Hastings, Christine Langford and Susan Bamford. Beverly Huke and Joanna Smurthwaite were unable to attend. Picture: Adrian Milledge.

CPL: I was just trying to get any job I could when I graduated. I ended up working for Canvas Holidays, which was enjoyable. They were run by a Scottish couple and they were among the first people to organise holidays with pre-erected tents all around Europe. I went down to Hertford, so ended up living in north London.

Were you aware from an early age that your dad was a special figure in the game?

CPL: Yes. Even when I was young, he’d come back from America with lovely dresses for me that you couldn’t get over here (laughing). And he’d come back from Japan with television sets and radios and other things. So I knew that he was pretty good. He had a lot of cine films. He’d go around the golf clubs to show the members and we used to watch them as well. There was some of Sam Snead and also Ben Hogan. It was pretty obvious he was quite good.

How much of an influence was he on you?

Cathy Panton-Lewis, second left, joined fellow player Katriona Taylor, as well as Solheim Cup director Mark Casey and the LET's Ben Gordon-Smith during the delivery of Scotland's successful bid for the 2019 Solheim Cup. Picture: Christopher Lee/Getty Images.

CPL: He taught me all the time. But one thing he rarely did was come to watch me play as he said I had to learn how to do it on my own. The first time he came to watch me, I was in my late-20s or even 30s. He never liked us watching him, either. Every time we went to The Open for our holidays, we’d have to go and watch Arnold Palmer as he didn’t want us watching him. He was a bit of a shy person, really, and didn’t want to be put off.

Your Ladies British Amateur win helped you win the Scottish Sportswoman of the Year in 1976. How special was that?

CPL: Very special. That was quite something as I was still at university then and I think I beat Yvonne Murray, the runner from Musselburgh. It’s funny as David Wilkie got Sportsman of the Year and I bumped into him in Sunningdale the other week. I had to tell him who I was, but he remembered me, which was nice. How funny was that after all these years?

Tell us about being a founding member of what became the LET

Cathy Panton-Lewis poses with the trophy after winning the 2007 Glenmuir Women's Club Professional Championship at Royal Porthcawl. PIcture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.

CPL: I’d been working at Canvas Holidays for about a year and one of my friends called me up and said there was talk of a professional circuit starting up. We all met up in London with a guy who was talking about it, but that didn’t come to anything. But it then snowballed from there in 1978. It was mainly British-based at first like the men’s tour, though, in saying that, we did play quite a bit in Sweden and France as well. Because it was sponsored by Carlsberg, we played quite a lot through Europe, in fact.

Was it a no-brainer for you, then, to have a crack at the pro ranks?

CPL: I thought it would be quite nice getting the chance to play golf for a living rather than being in an office, so off I went. Most people would love to play sport professionally, wouldn’t they?, and I was no exception.

And how did it feel to top the circuit’s first Order of Merit?

CPL: It is nice to have on my CV. My father was a bit dubious about whether I should be doing it or not, so I think he was quite pleased about that. My main rivals were people like Mickey Walker and Muriel Thompson.

You recorded 14 wins in total, including the Scottish Open in 1988. How pleasing was that title haul?

CPL: Yes, it was actually. It’s quite a lot of wins. I also spent three years in the US, so I didn’t play on all of the European events in that time. I played on the LPGA for a spell. It was tough over there, though I did enjoy it. The Americans were kind and hospitable. I even had my own swimming pool for one event and also pick up truck, which was nice.

Your last win came in the 1998 Scottish Open, which must have been a nice sign-off?

CPL: That was lovely. It was at Cawder and that was one of the weeks my dad came to watch. It was very windy and that was good for me as I liked to keep the ball low. Even though I’m from Glenbervie, I had quite a few wins on seaside courses. It was also very wet at Cawder and the last round was a bit of a slog, but I just kept going. It was a great relief to hole the winning putt. There were a lot of people watching, even though the weather was awful.

You then had a spell as the executive director of the McDonald’s WPGA Championship of Europe at Gleneagles. How was that?

CPL: I started doing that after finishing on tour in ‘96. I was based at Gleneagles for four years and really enjoyed that, bringing the world’s top women players there and all the proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald’s Children’s Charities. It was a great event at a fantastic venue.

How pleasing was it to see Catriona Matthew win the third of four editions in 1998?

CPL: Very and I think I gave her an invitation, as well, as I don’t think she was exempt. I think she thanked me for that in the prize-giving, which was nice. Laura Davies won it as well, also Helen Alfredsson. It certainly delivered some big winners.

What have you been up to since then?

CPL: I started playing on the Seniors Tour in America after I had finished with the McDonald’s WPGA Championship. I captained the Rest of the World in the Handa Cup two or three times. I also played in the US Senior Women’s Open in 2018 and made the cut, earning me the honour of PGA South Region Player of the Year for that feat. At the moment, I am working part-time at The Berkshire.

Where is home for you these days?

CPL: I have been living in Sunningdale for the last 21 years. It’s a lovely part of the world and the one good thing about lockdown is that I have lots of lovely trees and greenery to look at. I can also enjoy a nice walk across the golf courses.

What have you made of initiatives like the R&A’s Women in Golf Charter?

CPL: Last year, the golf courses down here were absolutely packed, and I think now is a great time to get more women into the game. They also seem to be making the game a bit more fun after having had a reputation in the past for being a bit fuddy duddy and it shouldn’t be. It should be cool to play golf these days.

Is it pleasing to know the Panton name will forever be inked in golf’s fabric?

CPL: I hope it will be. One of the things I’ve been doing in lockdown is trying to polish the silver trophies in the house, both dad’s and mine. And there are quite a few. It’s nice to see dad’s portrait up in the R&A Clubhouse and my name is up on the British Amateur board there as well. It’s all part of history now, isn’t it?

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