Ingeborg Cécilia Mourgue d'Algue (née Perslow) (born 4 August 1946, in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

) is a French - Swedish amateur

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

er.

Early life

Mourgue d'Algue, at the time named Cécilia Perslow, grew up playing golf with her parents Martin and Ingeborg at Örebro Golf Club, the 18-hole course situated outside

Örebro Örebro ( , ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, sixth-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of the Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers in ...

in the province of

Närke Närke () is a Provinces of Sweden, Swedish traditional province, or ''landskap'', situated in Svealand in south central Sweden. It is bordered by Västmanland to the north, Södermanland to the east, Östergötland to the southeast, Västergö ...

in the middle of Sweden. Her mother Ingeborg became the ladies' golf champion of both the club and the province. In her teenage years, Perslow traveled between amateur tournaments in Sweden, often in a small car together with friend

Liv Wollin Liv Wollin (née Forsell) (born 17 April 1945) is a Swedish professional golfer, who is regarded as having been one of the best Swedish female amateur players ever. Early life Wollin grew up in Lidingö outside Stockholm, Sweden, as the only gi ...

, at the time the dominant female golfer in Sweden. Wollin and Perslow in 1966 came to meet in the final of the Swedish Match-play Championship when Perslow was the defending champion. Wollin won the match, despite it was played at Perslow's home course.

Amateur career

Representing Sweden, at 18 years of age, she was the youngest competitor at the inaugural world amateur team championship, the

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

Espirito Santo Trophy The Espirito Santo Trophy (World Women's Amateur Team Championships) is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for women organised by the International Golf Federation. The inaugural event was held in 1964. It was instituted by the Fren ...

at Golf de Saint Germain, outside

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in her future home country of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, of which she did not know at the time. After winning the 1965 Swedish Amateur Match-play Championship, she also represented Sweden twice at the

European Ladies' Team Championship The European Ladies' Team Championship is a European amateur team golf championship for women organised by the European Golf Association. The inaugural event was held in 1959. It was played in odd-numbered years from 1959 to 2007 and has been pla ...

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

and

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

. In April 1967, still a Swedish citizen only, she won the French International Lady Juniors Amateur Championship, in the semi-final beating Vivien Sounders, England, 4 and 2, who ten years later came to win the

Women's British Open The Women's Open (originally known as the Women's British Open, and still widely referred to by that name outside the UK) is a women's major golf championships, major championship in Professional golf tours#Women's tours, women's professional go ...

, and in the final beating Shirley Ward 2 and 1. The year before Perslow lost in the final against future

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

winner

Catherine Lacoste Catherine Lacoste (born 27 June 1945) is a French amateur golfer and the only player who has won the U.S. Women's Open as an amateur. Early life She was born and grew up in Paris, France, with her parents, René Lacoste and Simone de la Chaume a ...

, After moving to France and becoming a French citizen, Mourgue d'Algue represented France at international amateur tournaments. She was a member and playing captain of the winning French team, with

Delphine Bourson Delphine Bourson-Drossaert (born 26 April 1969) is a French golfer. She won the European Ladies Amateur in 1991. Amateur career Bourson won the 1990 Spanish International Ladies Amateur Championship at El Bosque. At the European Ladies Amateur, ...

, Caroline Bourtayre, Sophie Louapre,

Sandrine Mendiburu Sandrine Mendiburu (born 15 October 1972) is a retired French professional golfer. In 1999 Mendiburu recorded back-to-back wins on the Ladies European Tour, winning the Donegal Irish Ladies' Open in a four-way a playoff and Ladies Hannover Ex ...

and Valérie Pamard, at the

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

in Pals,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, playing in the championship for the ninth time. The victory was decided when Mourgue d'Algue beat

Helen Dobson Helen Dobson (born 25 February 1971) is an English professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. Dobson won the 1989 British Ladies Amateur. Dobson won once on the LPGA Tour in 1993. She also finished second at the 1998 Nabisco Dinah Shore, ...

, England, on the 19th hole. In 1981, 15 years after they met in the final of the Swedish Championship, Morgue d'Algue and Wollin played on the winning side and together in the foursome matches for the Continent of Europe against Great Britain and Ireland at the

Vagliano Trophy The Vagliano Trophy is a biennial women's amateur golf tournament. It is co-organised by The R&A and the European Golf Association and is contested by teams representing "Great Britain and Ireland" and the "Continent of Europe". It is played in od ...

. She represented France four times at the Espirito Santo Trophy. In 1986, 22 years after she represented Sweden in the same tournament, as well as in 1984, she served as a playing captain and led the French team to silver medals. In 1984, she also finished second in the individual tournament. In 1994, at 48 years of age, Mourgue d'Algue finished runner-up at the

Womens Amateur Championship 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 the ...

, at the time named the British Ladies Amateur, at Newport Golf Club, England, losing in the final against

Emma Duggleby Emma Victoria (Duggleby) Brown (born 5 October 1971) is an English amateur golfer. She was born Emma Duggleby, her married name is Brown. She won the British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship in 1994 and played in three Curtis Cup matches, in 2000 ...

, England 3 and 1. The year after, her 20 years old daughter Kristel achieved the same feat, losing in the final at

Royal Portrush Golf Club Royal Portrush Golf Club is a private golf club in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The 36-hole club has two links courses, the Dunluce Links (the championship course) and the Valley Links. The former is one of the courses on the rota of the Op ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. After turning 50, Mourgue d'Algue was still competitive in regular amateur tournaments and won the 1996 French Amateur Championship, 31 years after her victory in the Swedish Championship. Before she finally won that late career victory, she had been runner-up at the French Amateur Championship four times, 1977, 1980, 1982 and 1985. In later life, Mourgue d'Algue won the individual European Senior Ladies' Championship, for ladies over 50 years of age, six times, the last time at the age of 65 in 2011.

Personal life

In late 1966, she came to France, to play golf at

Golf de Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche Golf de Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche () is a 36-hole golf complex in Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, Yvelines department, 25 km west of central Paris, France. History Danieal Féau conceived the project in 1954 and Mr. Entem, mayor of Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, of ...

, west of

, for eight months. She practiced under instructing professional Henri Mourguillat, who also trained French stars of the time

Gaëtan Mourgue d'Algue Gaëtan Mourgue d'Algue (born 1 June 1939) is a French golfer. He was a resident of Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, west of Paris, France, who helped popularize the then little played sport of golf in the country during the early 1960s. Early years His fa ...

and

. In September 1967, she married Gaëtan Mourgue d'Algue, one of the best French golf players of his generation, who won the French Amateur Native Championship twice and the French Amateur Open Championship three times and also was a person with great influence on the development of the sport of golf in France. He came to create the magazine ''Golf Européen'' and help to establish the

Trophée Lancôme The Trophée Lancôme was a professional golf tournament which was staged in Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, France from 1970 to 2003. Gaëtan Mourgue D'Algue, a French golf enthusiast from Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, hoped to popularize the then little-know ...

professional tournament. Their daughter, Kristel Mourgue d'Algue, born 1973, represented France three times at the Espirito Santo Trophy and, like her mother, the Continent of Europe at the Vagliano Trophy. After winning the 1995 individual

NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships The NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship, played in the month of May, is the annual competition in women's collegiate golf for individuals and teams from universities in Division I. Golf was one of twelve women's sports added to the NCAA cha ...

in United States, Kristel turned professional and played 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 ...

Amateur wins

*1965 Swedish Amateur Match-play Championship, Swedish International Stroke-play Championship *1967 French International Lady Juniors Amateur Championship *1977 Italian Amateur Open Championship *1978 French Amateur Open Match-play Championship *1981 French Amateur Open Match-play Championship *1982 French International Ladies Amateur Stroke-play Championship, Spanish International Ladies Amateur Championship *1984 Moroccan Amateur Open Championship *1986 French International Ladies Amateur Stroke-play Championship *1988 French International Ladies Amateur Stroke-play Championship *1991 French International Ladies Amateur Stroke-play Championship *1996 French Amateur Close Championship *1997 European Senior Ladies' Championship *2000 European Senior Ladies' Championship *2001 European Senior Ladies' Championship *2002 European Senior Ladies' Championship *2005 European Senior Ladies' Championship *2011 European Senior Ladies' Championship Sources:

Team appearances

Amateur *

(representing Sweden):

(representing France):

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

(winners),

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

(representing Sweden):

(representing France):

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

(playing captain),

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

(playing captain),

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

(non-playing captain),

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

(non-playing captain),

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

(non-playing captain) *

(representing the Continent of Europe): 1979 (tied), 1981 (winners),1985 *Nations Cup at the European Senior Ladies' Championship (representing France): 2001 (winners), 2002 (winners), 2005 (winners) *

European Senior Ladies' Team Championship The European Senior Ladies' Team Championship is a European amateur golf championship for women over 50 (previously 55) organized by the European Golf Association The European Golf Association (EGA) is a non-profit organisation based in Epali ...

(representing France): 2006 (winners), 2007 (winners), 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 (winners) Sources:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mourgue d'Algue, Cécilia French female golfers Amateur golfers Golfers from Paris 1946 births Living people