(8) Joyce Wethered
To the uninitiated this will seem like an unusual choice, but the future Lady Heathcoat- Amory was considered the finest female player of her generation and the best female British golfer of all time. In the early 1920’s she was close to unbeatable, winning the English Ladies Amateur Championship five years in a row, and winning three of four British Amateur Championships she entered during the same period. She then retired at the ripe old age of 23. She was lured out of retirement in 1929 to play in the British Amateur being held at St Andrews as the American, Glenna Colette, the only female player with a remotely similar reputation, had entered. Wethered beat Colette 3 and 1 in the final to take her fourth British title. She then retired from competition for good. Throughout her life she regularly played with the top male professionals of her day, and it is their feedback that is perhaps the most telling. She drew gushing praise from greats
such as Walter Hagen, Francis Ouimet, Gene Sarazen and many more. The highest praise of all came from her biggest fan, the world’s greatest player, Bobby Jones. Jones played many times with Joyce, including a round at St Andrews where she joined the men from the back tees and defeated them all. Jones later made the following comments: “I have not played golf with anyone, man or woman, amateur or professional, who made me feel so utterly outclassed. She is the finest golfer I have ever seen.”
