May Hezlet

Mary Elizabeth Linzee "May" Hezlet (29 April 1882 – 27 December 1978) was a British amateur golfer and sports writer. She has been called "probably Ireland's greatest woman golfer".

May Hezlet
Hezlet, c. 1907
Personal information
Full nameMary Elizabeth Linzee Hezlet
NicknameMay
Born(1882-04-29)29 April 1882
Gibraltar
Died27 December 1978(1978-12-27) (aged 96)
Sandwich, Kent, England
Nationality Ireland
 United Kingdom
Career
StatusAmateur
May Hezlet, from a 1907 publication.

Early life

Hezlet was born in Gibraltar, the daughter Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Jackson Hezlet. She and her sisters Florence and Violet Hezlet grew up in Ireland and became leading golfers.

Golf career

Irish Ladies Close Championship

In 1899, at the golf course in Newcastle, County Down, May Hezlet defeated Rhona Adair to win the first of her five Irish Ladies Close Championships, three of which came in succession from 1904 to 1906. In two of those victories her sister Florence was the runner-up.[1] It was Janet Jackson who surpassed her record of five championships, by winning six between 1913 and 1925.[2]

British Ladies Amateur

She won the British Ladies Amateur title in 1899, becoming the youngest-ever winner of the championship—an age record that still stands.[1] Hezlet won the British Ladies Amateur again in 1902 then in 1904 at Scotland's Royal Troon Golf Club she lost in the final to Lottie Dod. She won her third British title in 1907 and her fifth Irish Ladies Close Championship in 1908 at the Royal Portrush Golf Club.

Writer of golf books

Hezlet published a book titled Ladies Golf in 1904 that was immensely popular. A second edition was published 1907 with an additional updating chapter.[3] In 1912, she contributed to The New Book of Golf by Horace G. Hutchinson.[4]

Family

In 1909, she married Rev. Arthur Edwin Ross.[5] Her brother Charles Hezlet was runner-up in The Amateur Championship in 1914, played in the Walker Cup, and won several Irish amateur titles.

Death and legacy

Hezlet died on 27 December 1978 at Sandwich, Kent, England. In 1999 the Irish Times noted that May Hazlet was probably Ireland's greatest woman golfer.[6]

References
  1. The King and His Navy & Army: On the Links. 1905. p. 258. Retrieved 14 April 2015 – via Books.Google.com.
  2. Smith, Colm (14 June 2004). "An extra special milestone for The Island ladies". The Independent. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  3. May Hezlet (1907). Ladies' Golf. Hutchinson.
  4. Hutchinson, Horace G. (1912). The New Book of Golf. London, England: Longmans, Green & Co. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  5. "The Bishop of Tuam". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 25 May 1923. p. 14.
  6. "May Hezlet - the greatest ever". The Irish Times. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
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