New mum Pamela Pretswell Asher returns to competitive golf at Ladies Scottish Open

Think supermum in golf and Catriona Matthew instantly springs to mind, having claimed her historic win in the 2008 Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham just 11 weeks after giving birth to a second daughter, Sophie. Compared to that, you might think it will be a walk in the park for Pamela Pretswell Asher, who became a new mum in November, to be making her return to competitive golf in this week’s Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club, but not so.

Pamela Pretswell Asher will return to action at the Ladies Scottish Open. Picture: David Cannon/Getty Images

The 30-year-old, you see, has not played since December 2017, having missed out on a planned appearance in the same event at Gullane last year after not being in full health in the early stages of her pregnancy and then making the most of her first few months of motherhood with daughter Kristy.

“After having all of last year off, the plan was always to come back in the Ladies Scottish Open this year and I just started playing in May after having a full year off,” said Pretswell, who will be flying the Saltire at the East Lothian venue along with Carly Booth, Kylie Henry, Gemma Dryburgh, Kelsey MacDonald, Catriona Matthew and Michele Thomson. “I am looking forward to this event. My last tournament was in Dubai in December 2017, which seems just the other day, really. I don’t know where the time has gone, but I am enjoying motherhood.”

Matthew had barely had time to catch breath following her second birth when she became the first Scottish player to win a women’s major 11 years ago. “I am feeling pretty good about my chances,” said Pretswell Asher, laughing, as she compared her return to that incredible achievement. “She must just be supermum as life is so different when you have a child. At 11 weeks, you are still looking for your hairbrush, never mind thinking about winning a major. She is just incredible when you put it into perspective what she went through.”

While Solheim Cup captain Matthew is only starting to slow down a bit – she’s calling it a day on the LPGA at the end of this season – Pretswell Asher has no plans to return to jumping on planes to play in events all over the world, which had been the case since turning professional in 2012.

“The good thing about the Ladies Scottish Open is that it is just an hour and a half from home, so we can throw everything in the car and get through to The Renaissance Club,” she said. “We’ll see how that goes and take it from there. I don’t think I would be full-time again. I have an exemption for this year and I understand I can re-apply for that next year. Once we get the schedule for next season, we will see what will work for Kristy and myself.”

A business and management graduate from Glasgow University, Pretswell Asher finished 14th on the LET money-list in 2015, but has slipped to 1018th in the Rolex World Rankings during her absence, which coincided with her home circuit running into troubled times as the schedule became threadbare.

“To be honest, the break came at quite a good time. There are less tournaments and I think I was putting more pressure on myself as a result of that,” said the former Curtis Cup player. “When I played golf at uni, it was a treat, but it had become a bit more intense. My head became a bit tired and I feel I am coming back fresher…weirdly (laughing). I’ve got a fresh perspective on golf and life, I suppose, and I am looking forward to being back.”