Stateside win tops year of success for Chloe
In-form Stirling University golfer Chloe Goadby has branded her recent triumph at the Yale Intercollegiate in the United States as her“biggest win to date”.
The 20-year-old from St Andrews has enjoyed an incredible run of results in recent months, culminating in individual and team success at Yale – one of the highestranked college tournaments in the US. In addition, she came out top at the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) tournaments in the Midlands and Fife.
Along with fellow Stirling golfers, Gemma Batty and Sinead Sexton, she also led the university to success at the European University Sports Association (EUSA) competition in the Czech Republic, where she finished second in the individual competition – narrowly missing out on top spot by one stroke.
After representing Team GB in the World University Games in Taipei in August, she led the university to glory at EUSA despite“tough”conditions.
“We don’t get the opportunity to play a team event very often and, when we do, you want to do the best you possibly can,”she said. “The goal for the week was to retain the men’s and women’s team titles, and we achieved that, whilst I also won silver.”
She also enjoyed individual success at BUCS Midlands, but this month’s triumph at Yale that will go down as her best win to date. Playing with Stirling’s Gemma Batty, Emily Laws, Hazel MacGarvie and Mirren Fraser, she secured top spot at the competition at New Haven, Connecticut.
The landmark win is believed to be the first time an international team has won a
Pic Credit: Leaderboard Photography National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One tournament, the highest level of college competition.
She also topped the individual rankings ahead of team-mate MacGarvie.
“My win at Yale is my biggest win to date – and my most exciting – as it was paired with a team win for Stirling University.
“I played last year and was completely overwhelmed by the challenge by the golf course and the level of the field. So, to go back and win it this year proves how far I have come and that I am capable of winning tournaments in a highly competitive field.
“It was also very special to win the team event, particularly as we had a very young team and we didn’t expect to win going into the event.”
The third-year Psychology and Sports Studies student capped a memorable couple of months with a win at the BUCS Fife Tournament and has now returned to university to focus on her studies.
“I have a lot of work to catch up on and a few assignments to complete,”she explained. “So, I have taken a couple of weeks off golf whilst getting back into a good gym routine to begin my winter training.
“As the days get shorter and darker, it becomes more difficult to fit practice into the day, but I am going to work hard to plan well and get better.”
Goadby is looking forward to a two-week winter training camp in Dubai as she sets her sights on her goals for next year.
She added:“Hopefully I can build on the success I’ve had this year and keep enjoying the great opportunities I’m getting in this game going forward.”