Whenever someone mentions a golf legend from the LPGA Tour, Catriona Matthew’s name is sure to pop up, and for good reason. The golfer has given so much to the golfing community with her exceptional skills and talent. With a trophy cabinet featuring 11 professional wins, including four on the LPGA Tour and six on the Ladies European Tour, Matthew’s playing career has been nothing short of stellar. Did you know that Matthew started playing golf when she was only 5?

Born on August 25, 1969, in Edinburgh, the amazing golfer had a passion for the sport at such a young age. She thanks her parents for their support and guidance that nurtured her talent and love for the game, molding her into the great golfer we know today.

Professional career

After completing her studies in accounting, Matthew graduated with a degree from the University of Stirling in 1992. She then turned to golf and kept it as a full-time job. Matthew turned pro in 1995 after qualifying for the LPGA Tour by tying for fifth at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament in 1994. The fifth spot granted her exception for the whole of 1995, but Matthew underwent emergency surgery in 1995 to remove an ovarian cyst.

Luckily, she recovered just in time to win the 1996 Australian Ladies Open and the 1998 ELPGA McDonald’s Championship. Additionally, Matthew has competed in nine Solheim Cups, serving as captain in 2019 and 2021. Matthew also represented Europe in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Her LPGA Tour wins include the 2001 Cup Noodles Hawaiian Ladies Open, the 2004 Wendy’s Championship for Children, the 2009 RICOH Women’s British Open, and the 2011 Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Life’s biggest victories often happen off-course, and that was exactly the case with Matthew.

Personal life

The amazing golfer found her love and life partner in her caddie, Graeme Matthew, and got married in 1994, a year before she turned pro. The pair welcomed two precious daughters, Katie in 2006 and Sophie Lauren in 2009. She was caught in a fire accident in 2009, weeks after giving birth to Sophie.

Notably, she claimed her first major championship, the 2009 Ricoh Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes, just 11 weeks after Sophie’s birth. Katie and Sophie are not much into golf, but they have also taken up sports like swimming and hockey. According to her LPGA profile, she loves traveling, and her Instagram is all the proof we need.

Her latest backpacking trip was to India, and she shared gorgeous pictures of one of the seven wonders, the Taj Mahal, with her fans on her Instagram. Her other hobbies are watching sports, and she is a big supporter of France’s football team. She also has a furry friend named Rio.

After her exceptional wins, Matthew is now an inspiration to many aspiring golfers. One of her biggest achievements that frequently goes overlooked is a clubhouse lounge in North Berwick in her name!

Catriona Matthew clubhouse lounge in North Berwick

In 2021, the Scottish golfer was given a lasting honor by her home club, North Berwick. Growing up in North Berwick, Matthew never would’ve thought she’d be given such a big honor. A clubhouse lounge was renamed in her honor, which was a way of paying respect to her achievements in the sport.

Matthew, who had been a member of the club since the age of 12, was utterly moved by this and said, “That was a great night, and they’ve done it really nicely with the photos, etc.,”  according to Scotsman. She never could have imagined such an honor when she first started playing golf. Even during her playing career, she couldn’t have envisioned something like this happening one day.

The 52-year-old at the time expressed her gratitude, saying, “To have a lounge named after me was a huge honor. Especially at a golf club that was ranked in the top 40 in the world. It had been my home club; my mom and dad were both captains for a long time, and it had a real family connection for me.”

Matthew’s daughters, Sophie and Katie, were also seen very happy on the occasion. Catriona Matthew’s legacy continues to inspire future generations of golfers, and her name is forever etched in the history of North Berwick Golf Club.