Catherine MacCann ( Smye, 20 February 1922 – 29 April 2010) was an Irish amateur golfer. She won the

British Ladies Amateur The Women's Amateur Championship, previously known as the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship, was founded in 1893 by the Ladies' Golf Union. It is organised by The R&A, which merged with the Ladies' Golf Union in 2017. Until the dawn of t ...

in 1951, the Irish Women's Amateur Close Championship in 1949 and 1961 and was a member of the

1952 Curtis Cup The 7th Curtis Cup Match was played on 6 and 7 June 1952 at Muirfield in Scotland. The British Isles won by 5 matches to 4, to win the Curtis Cup for the first time. The British Isles won two of the three foursomes matches and tied the singles to ...

team.

Golf career

Irish women's golf after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

was dominated by Philomena Garvey. Garvey won the Irish Women's Amateur Close Championship 14 times between 1946 and 1963. Garvey missed two events, in 1956 and 1961, and was only beaten twice in that period in 1949 and 1952, both times in the second round. MacCann played in the event in 1946, losing at the quarter-final stage. In 1947 she reached the final but lost to Garvey. She lost in the quarter-finals in 1948 but in 1949 took advantage of Garvey's early exit to win the title, beating Dorothy Beck in the final. MacCann won for a second time in 1961 but lost further finals to Garvey in 1957 and 1960 and to Dorothy Forster in 1952. MacCann first played in the

Women's Home Internationals The Women's Home Internationals were an amateur team golf championship for women contested between the four Home Nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, where Ireland was represented by the whole island of Ireland on an All-Ireland basi ...

in 1947, after reaching the final of the Irish championship. She played again in 1948 and 1949. These events were played on the Friday and Saturday before the start of the

at the same venue on the following Monday. However it seems that MacCann did not play in the British Ladies Amateur until 1950. She did play in the event in 1950, losing in the third round to

Jessie Valentine Jessie Valentine (née Anderson) (18 March 1915 – 6 April 2006) was a Scottish amateur golfer who won the British Ladies Amateur in 1937, 1955 and 1958. In 1937, after winning the British Ladies title at Turnberry she was the world number o ...

. In 1951 at Broadstone she beat Moira Paterson in the quarter-finals and then

Jeanne Bisgood Jeanne Mary Bisgood (11 August 1923 – 15 May 2024) was an English amateur golfer. She won the English Women's Amateur Championship three times, in 1951, 1953 and 1957 and played in the Curtis Cup three times, in 1950, 1952 and 1954. Early ...

in the semis, both matches going to extra holes. In the final she beat Frances Stephens 4&3 in the 36-hole final, to become the first Irish winner since 1907. MacCann was selected for the

team at

Muirfield Muirfield is a privately owned golf links which is the home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. Located in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland, overlooking the Firth of Forth, Muirfield is one of the golf courses used in rotation for T ...

. MacCann was not selected for the foursomes, the British team taking a 2–1 lead on the first day, MacCann was also not selected for the singles. However Elizabeth Price was not well in the morning and might have been replaced. However MacCann was also ill and so Price played her singles match. Price beat Grace DeMoss 3&2 and, with the singles matches tied 3–3, the British Isles won their first Curtis Cup.

Personal life

MacCann was born Catherine Smye in

Clonmel Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

, Ireland on 20 February 1922. Her father and brothers were amateur golfers. She married Pat MacCann on 16 February 1950. She died on 29 April 2010 at the age of 88.

Team appearances

Curtis Cup The Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match. It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and The R&A and is contested by teams representing the United States and " ...

(representing Great Britain & Ireland):

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

(representing Ireland): 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacCann, Kitty Irish female golfers Amateur golfers 1922 births 2010 deaths 20th-century Irish sportswomen