Liz Young (golfer)

{{short description|English professional golfer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}} {{Infobox golfer | name = Liz Young | image = | imagesize = | caption = | fullname = Elizabeth Young | nickname = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|10|23|df=y}} | birth_place = Southampton, England | death_date =  | death_place = | height = {{height|ft=5|in=8}} | weight = | nationality = {{ENG}} | residence = | spouse = | partner = | children = | college = University of Iowa | yearpro = 2009 | retired =  | tour = Ladies European Tour (joined 2009) | extour =  | prowins = 2 | lpgawins = | letwins = 2 | jlpgawins =  | klpgawins =  | lagtwins =  | alpgwins =  | futwins =  | otherwins =  | majorwins =  | nabisco = DNP | lpga = DNP | wusopen = DNP | wbritopen = T61: 2013 | evian = DNP | wghofid =  | wghofyear =  | award1 =  | year1 =  | awardssection =  }} '''Elizabeth Young''' (née Bennett, born 23 October 1982) is an English professional golfer. In 2022, her 14th season on the Ladies European Tour, she secured her maiden victory at the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open, a month before her 40th birthday.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Meet Liz Young, the 39-year-old mom who won on the LET for the first time in 14 years |url=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2022/09/15/liz-young-39-mom-first-time-let-winner-14-years/ |magazine=Golfweek |first=Beth Ann |last=Nichols |date=15 September 2022 |access-date=16 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ladies European Tour: England's Liz Young claims maiden title after victory at Swiss Ladies Open |url=https://www.skysports.com/golf/news/12176/12694517/ladies-european-tour-englands-liz-young-claims-maiden-title-after-victory-at-swiss-ladies-open |publisher=Sky Sports |date=10 September 2022 |access-date=16 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Soon-To-Be-Mum Will Play At British Open |url=https://womenandgolf.com/news/tour-news/soon-to-be-mum-will-play-at-british-open |publisher=Women & Golf |date=8 July 2016 |access-date=17 September 2022}}</ref>

==Early life and amateur career== Young started playing golf at the age of 12 with her older brother James. She attended the University of Iowa and earned a BA in economics.<ref name=LET/>

As an amateur, she represented England and won the 2007 The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship in Texas together with Naomi Edwards, Gary Boyd and Danny Willett. Her team finished fourth in the 2008 European Ladies' Team Championship in Stenungsund, Sweden. She represented Great Britain & Ireland at the 2008 Curtis Cup at St Andrews.

Individually, she won the 2006 English Women's Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship and won the 2008 English Amateur Order of Merit. In 2008, she also won the Sally Tournament on the Orange Blossom Tour in the United States.<ref name=LET/>

==Professional career== Young turned professional 2009 and joined the Ladies European Tour the same year. In her first 13 LET seasons, her best finish was a T4 at the 2013 Allianz Ladies Slovak Open. The same year she made the cut at the Women's British Open.<ref name=LET/>

In 2016, Young competed in the Women's British Open, held at Woburn while being 7-months pregnant. Following the birth of her child, she took maternity leave from the LET and returned to compete in April 2017 at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco.

In 2022, Young carded a final-round 69 to beat Linn Grant by one stroke and win the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open, her first title, in her 14th LET season and a month before her 40th birthday.<ref>{{cite web |title=Swiss Ladies Open: Liz Young wins first Ladies European Tour event |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/golf/62865947 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=16 September 2022}}</ref>

==Rose Ladies Series== In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Young along with the then head professional Jason MacNiven at her home club Brokenhurst Manor, proposed a tournament in which lady professionals could compete once again under COVID restrictions. This Ladies Open competition was reported by Kate Rowan in the ''Daily Telegraph'' and rapidly became a series of 10 tournaments nationwide following the support of Kate and Justin Rose culminating in a series final at the Wentworth Club. The Rose Ladies Series opening event at Brokenhurst Manor was the first professional golf event to take place during the pandemic restrictions and was won by Charley Hull after a playoff with Young.

==Personal life== She competed as '''Liz Bennett''' until April 2013, when she married Jonathan Young.<ref name=LET>{{cite web |title=Liz Young Player Profile |url=https://ladieseuropeantour.com/player-profiles/?player=130122 |publisher=Ladies European Tour |date=10 September 2022 |access-date=16 September 2022}}</ref>

==Amateur wins== *2006 English Women's Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship *2008 Sally Tournament

Source:<ref name=LET/>

==Professional wins (2)== ===Ladies European Tour wins (2)=== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" !No. !Date !Tournament !Winning<br>score !To par !Margin<br>of victory !Runner(s)-up |- |align=center|1 |align=right|10 Sep 2022 |VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open |align=right|68-67-69=204 |align=center|−12 |1 stroke |{{flagicon|SWE}} Linn Grant |- |align=center|2 |align=right|27 Oct 2024 |Hero Women's Indian Open |align=right|74-73-67-72=286 |align=center|−2 |1 stroke |{{flagicon|BEL}} Manon De Roey, {{flagicon|NZL}} Momoka Kobori<br>{{flagicon|FRA}} Agathe Sauzon, {{flagicon|SIN}} Shannon Tan |}

==Results in LPGA majors== ''Young only competed in the Women's British Open.'' {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;" ! Tournament !! 2008 !! 2009 !! 2010 !! 2011 !! 2020 !! 2012 !! 2013 !! 2014 !! 2015 !! 2016 !! 2017 !! 2018 !! 2019 !! 2020 !! 2021 !! 2022 !! 2023 !! 2024 !! 2025 |-

|align=left|Women's British Open |CUT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |T61 |CUT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |CUT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |CUT |CUT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |CUT |}  {{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}} CUT = missed the half-way cut<br> T=tied

==Team appearances== '''Amateur''' *Women's Home Internationals (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 2006 (winners), 2007 (winners), 2008 *Vagliano Trophy: (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2007 *Spirit International (representing England): 2007 (winners) *Curtis Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2008 *European Ladies' Team Championship (representing England): 2008 *Espirito Santo Trophy (representing England): 2008

'''Professional''' *International Crown (representing England): 2023

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{LadiesEuroTour player|130122}} *{{WWGR|3324}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Liz}} Category:English female golfers Category:Iowa Hawkeyes women's golfers Category:Ladies European Tour golfers Category:Sportspeople from Southampton Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century English sportswomen