Dinah Henson

{{Short description|English amateur golfer (1948–2020)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}} {{Infobox golfer | name = Dinah Henson | image = | imagesize =  | caption = | fullname = Dinah Lillianne Henson | nickname = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1948|10|17|df=y}} | birth_place = England | death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|4|30|1948|10|17|df=y}} | death_place = England | height =  | weight = | nationality = {{ENG}} | spouse = | children = | college = | status = Amateur | yearpro =  | retired =  | awardssection =  }} '''Dinah Lillianne Henson''' ({{nee}} Oxley, 17 October 1948 – 30 April 2020)<ref name=wgm>{{cite web |url=http://www.womengolfersmuseum.com/Famousgolfers/H.htm |publisher=Women Golfers' Museum |title=Henson, Mrs Dinah (nee Oxley) |access-date=25 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://funeral-notices.co.uk/notice/henson/4851971 |publisher=funeral-notices.co.uk |title=Dinah Lillianne Henson |access-date=25 July 2022}}</ref> was an English amateur golfer. She won the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship in 1970. She played in the Curtis Cup four times, in 1968, 1970, 1972 and 1976.

==Golf career== Aged 14, Henson won the Girls Amateur Championship in 1963, beating Barbara Whitehead, 2 and 1, in the final.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VVxAAAAAIBAJ&pg=1812%2C4247670 |title=Girls' title for Miss Oxley |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=8 |date=31 August 1963}}</ref> The following year she made her debut for England in the annual England–Scotland girls match, and in 1965 she won the English girls title.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sm5AAAAAIBAJ&pg=2003%2C3216678 |title=Convincing victory for English girls |first=Raymond |last=Jacobs |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=26 August 1964 |page=9}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=W1xAAAAAIBAJ&pg=5285%2C910182 |title=Miss Oxley champion |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=5 |date=7 August 1965}}</ref> In 1966, she was the losing finalist in both the English championship and the Girls Amateur Championship, losing narrowly to Barbara Whitehead and Jill Hutton.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5HhAAAAAIBAJ&pg=4413%2C1047987 |title=Miss Whitehead's title |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=5 |date=6 August 1966}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9XhAAAAAIBAJ&pg=1910%2C4210549 |title=Miss Hutton girls' champion |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=6 |date=26 August 1966}}</ref>

In 1967, Henson made her debut in senior events, playing for Great Britain in the Commonwealth Trophy in Canada, for Great Britain & Ireland in the Vagliano Trophy and for England in the Women's Home Internationals.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ClxAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c6MMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3196%2C916993 |title=Britain women retain Commonwealth Title |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=5 |date=7 August 1967}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_H5AAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vaMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4030%2C1190647 |title=Britain Women Take Two Match Lead at Royal Lytham |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=8 September 1967 |page=6}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=B39AAAAAIBAJ&pg=4678%2C3616735 |title=England fight back and share honours with Scotland |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=4 |date=21 September 1967}}</ref> In 1968, she made her debut in the Curtis Cup.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FN89AAAAIBAJ&pg=2128%2C2628303 |title=British women recover for lead in Curtis Cup |first=Raymond |last=Jacobs |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=4 |date=15 June 1968}}</ref> She played regularly in international matches until competing in the Curtis Cup match in mid-1972.<ref name=wgm/> She was part of the team of three for the 1970 Espirito Santo Trophy, where they finished sixth. Henson was the leading Great Britain & Ireland scorer on each of the four rounds.<ref>{{cite web |title=Record Book 1970 World Amateur Golf Team Championships |url=https://gsites.brightspotcdn.com/50/e9/cf4f8df36118c49561c31f48fe07/1970-wagtc-record-book.pdf |access-date=25 July 2022 |publisher=World Amateur Golf Council}}</ref>

Henson also had success individually. In 1968, she reached the final of the English Women's Amateur Championship, losing to Sally Barber in the final. However, she met Barber again in the final in both 1970 and 1971, winning both times.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=v21AAAAAIBAJ&pg=4387%2C4866187 |title=English title for Mrs Barber |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=11 |date=26 May 1968}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lJVAAAAAIBAJ&pg=6539%2C4728096 |title=English title for Miss Oxley |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=4 |date=23 May 1970}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Qs89AAAAIBAJ&pg=6595%2C4672165 |title=Miss Oxley changes putter and wins |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=4 |date=22 May 1971}}</ref> In 1968, playing with Joan Dudok van Heel, she won the Worplesdon Mixed Foursomes.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BNs9AAAAIBAJ&pg=1320%2C2345509 |title=Anglo-Dutch pair win foursomes |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=12 October 1968 |page=4}}</ref> In 1969, she won the French International Lady Juniors Amateur Championship, an under-21 event.<ref name=wgm/> She was runner-up in the Hovis International in 1969, 15 strokes behind Catherine Lacoste, and was also a joint runner-up in the event in 1971.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_ZpAAAAAIBAJ&pg=1530%2C1008574 |title=Runaway 15-stroke Hovis win for Miss Lacoste |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=6 June 1969 |page=6}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=duA9AAAAIBAJ&pg=4969%2C2186996 |title=Hovis title for Scots granny |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=11 June 1971 |page=6}}</ref> Also in 1969, she was a semi-finalist in the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship, losing to Ann Irvin at the 19th hole.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CptAAAAAIBAJ&pg=5185%2C4020593 |title=Misses Irvin and Lacoste reach final |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=21 June 1969 |page=4}}</ref> The following year, she won the event, beating Belle Robertson by one hole in the final.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YZJAAAAAIBAJ&pg=3131%2C4623492 |title=So near and yet so far |first=Raymond |last=Jacobs |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=22 June 1970 |page=5}}</ref> She had led the stroke-play qualifying.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XpJAAAAAIBAJ&pg=1694%2C3875858 |title=Miss Oxley leads women's match-play title qualifiers |first=Raymond |last=Jacobs |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=18 June 1970 |page=6}}</ref> Henson won the Wills Women's Match Play three years in succession, 1969, 1970 and 1971.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105125651/the-guardian/ |title=English champion routed |newspaper=The Guardian |page=14 |date=26 July 1969 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4pFAAAAAIBAJ&pg=2016%2C4420329 |title=Dinah Oxley completes great treble |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=5 |date=25 July 1970}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YINQAAAAIBAJ&pg=4215%2C4137409 |title=Miss Oxley wins |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=4 |date=24 July 1971}}</ref> In 1969, she was runner-up in the inaugural Ladies' British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship, although she was nine strokes behind the winner, Ann Irvin.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iJRAAAAAIBAJ&pg=3454%2C1144081 |title=Nine-stroke win for Miss Irvin |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=6 September 1969 |page=4}}</ref>

Henson was married soon after competing in the 1972 Curtis Cup and dropped out of international competition, returning in 1974. She competed in the 1974 Colgate European Open and was the leading amateur, 16 strokes behind the winner, Judy Rankin.<ref name=wgm/> She was a joint winner of the Newmark International in 1975, and won the event by nine strokes in 1977.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fZBAAAAAIBAJ&pg=2950%2C4535868 |title=Triple tie after missed putts |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=20 June 1975 |page=27}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105259744/the-daily-telegraph/ |title=Mrs Henson outpaces field by nine strokes |first=Elizabeth |last=Price |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=28 July 1977 |page=29}}</ref> Playing with Jeremy Caplan, she won the Worplesdon Mixed Foursomes for the second time in 1977.<ref name=wgm/> Henson made her fourth appearance in the Curtis Cup in 1976 and played for England in the Home Internationals for the final time in 1978.<ref name=wgm/>

==Personal life== Born Dinah Oxley, she married James Henson in 1972. She died in 2020 aged 71.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.madillgolf.com/other-stuff/seminole-sews-the-seed |publisher=Madill Golf |title=Seminole Sows The Seed |date=8 May 2020 |access-date=26 July 2022}}</ref>

==Team appearances== *Curtis Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1968, 1970, 1972, 1976 *Vagliano Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1967, 1969, 1971 (winners) *Commonwealth Trophy (representing Great Britain): 1967 (winners), 1971 (winners) *Espirito Santo Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1970 *European Ladies' Team Championship (representing England): 1971 (winners), 1977 (winners) *Women's Home Internationals (representing England): 1967 (joint winners), 1968 (winners), 1969, 1970 (winners), 1975 (winners), 1976 (winners), 1977 (winners), 1978 (winners) *England–Scotland girls match (representing England): 1964 (winners), 1965 (tie), 1966

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henson, Dinah}} Category:English female golfers Category:Amateur golfers Category:1948 births Category:2020 deaths Category:20th-century English sportswomen