Cara Gainer (born 20 August 1995) is an English

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

who plays on the

Ladies European Tour The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1978. It is based at Buckinghamshire Golf Club near London in England. Like many UK-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee, a legal stru ...

. She was runner-up at the 2022 Belgian Ladies Open.

Early life and amateur career

Gainer hails from

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and started playing golf relatively late, when she was 14-years-old, and became a scratch golfer at 17. Throughout that time she was a member at

Frilford Heath Golf Club Frilford Heath Golf Club is a 54-hole golf club in Frilford, Oxfordshire, set amongst 500 acres of heathland to the southwest of Oxford city. History Frilford Heath was founded in 1908 by Dr Harry Challenor (a local physician), A.E. Preston, a ...

, along with

Eddie Pepperell Edward Louis Pepperell (born 22 January 1991) is an English professional golfer who plays on the European Tour. In February 2018, he won his first European Tour event at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. In October 2018, he won his second Europea ...

. She was part of the Castle Royle High Performance Academy and was Castle Royle Ladies Champion in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and was Ladies' Amateur Champion of Oxfordshire County in 2016. Gainer won the 2017 English Women's Open Match Play Championship at

Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club The Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club is a private golf club and golf course comprising two 18-hole courses located in Old Deer Park in Richmond, south west London. Location The course lies in an arc of Crown Estate land on the east bank of the River ...

, and was in the England squad her final year as an amateur, competing internationally. She graduated with a geography degree from

Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

in 2016.

Professional career

Gainer turned professional in January 2020 after LET Q-School, and joined the

LET Access Series The LET Access Series (LETAS) is a professional golf tour for women and the official development tour to the Ladies European Tour. Launched in 2010, the LET Access Series provides players with an opportunity to compete and progress on to the LET ...

. In 2020, she recorded four top-20 finishes in five starts including a runner-up finish at the Czech Ladies Challenge in Prague. She ended the year in second place on the Order of Merit behind

Tiia Koivisto Tiia Koivisto (born 6 February 1994) is a Finnish professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour (LET). She won the 2022 Jabra Ladies Open. In 2020, she topped the LETAS Order of Merit after winning the Czech Ladies Challenge. Caree ...

, earning promotion to the

(LET). She was also crowned LETAS Rookie of the Year. In her rookie LET season, Gainer finished 90th in the Race to Costa del Sol. In 2022 she ended the season 41st, after she recorded a career-best finish of second at the Belgian Ladies Open, one stroke behind

Linn Grant Linn Maria Grant (born 20 June 1999) is a Swedish professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour. As an amateur, she won the 2017 Ladies' British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship and was in contention at the 2018 and ...

. She held the overnight lead at the season finale, the

Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open De España Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

, after a 7-under 66 in the opening round, but then produced three rounds of 72 to finish tied 14th. Gainer opened the 2023 season with a tie for 9th at the

Magical Kenya Ladies Open The Magical Kenya Ladies Open is a professional golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour, first played in 2019. The tournament is played in Kenya at Vipingo Ridge, near Kikambala in the former Coast Province. It was the last Ladies European T ...

, having sat in 3rd ahead of the final round.

Amateur wins

*2017 English Women's Open Match Play Championship Source:

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gainer, Cara English female golfers Ladies European Tour golfers Sportspeople from Oxford 1995 births Living people 21st-century English women