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Triumph in European Tour team event is career high for Darlington golfer

Eleanor Givens at Rockliffe Hall <i>(Image: Peter Barron)</i>
Eleanor Givens at Rockliffe Hall (Image: Peter Barron)

GOLFER Eleanor Givens is back home in the North-East after the biggest win of her career on the Ladies European Tour.

Eleanor, 34, from Darlington, was part of a triumphant four-ball that won the prestigious Aramco Team Series title at Laguna National, in Singapore.

The team was captained by Austria professional Christine Wolf, and also featured South African professional Casandra Alexander, and Japanese amateur Katsuko Blalock.

They finished on 29 under par to seal the victory in dramatic fashion, with Ellie also storming to seventh place in the individual tournament. The total prize fund for the tournament was $1m dollars.

Eleanor, who is attached to Rockliffe Hall, said: “It’s definitely the highlight of my career so far because it’s my first win on the Ladies European Tour, and it was extra-special after missing all of the 2022 season through illness.

“To miss a whole year at that level is hard, and it was only my fifth event since I came back, but I felt my game was in a good place. To come seventh in the individual tournament was also really satisfying because it was such a strong field.”

Eleanor started playing the sport as a six-year-old when her dad, Ralph, was the professional at Darlington’s Blackwell Grange Golf Club, and her mum, Lesley, was also working in the club shop.

She started on the Ladies European Tour in 2012 and her best individual finish was fifth in a tournament in Switzerland in 2021. Another career highlight was playing in the British Open at Troon in 2020.

Eleanor, a former pupil at Polam Hall School, in Darlington, is now on a break before returning to the tour for an individual event at Evian, in France, in May, followed by a team event in Florida. She is scheduled to play around 25 tournaments all over the world during the season.

“I don’t see an end to it at the moment. I’m improving year on year, still enjoy it, and there’s a lot left to achieve. I’d love to get an individual win on the tour – that’s what everyone’s striving for – and play in more majors.”

Eleanor, an honorary member at Blackwell Grange Golf Club, is supported by Swing Out Sister as a clothing sponsor, and Hazzad, which makes personalised golf accessories. Any other sponsors interested in supporting her can contact her on Twitter or Instagram.