Dinah Lillianne Henson ( Oxley, 17 October 1948 – 30 April 2020) was an English amateur golfer. She won the

Ladies' British Open 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 th ...

in 1970. She played in the

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 " ...

four times, in 1968, 1970, 1972 and 1976.

Golf career

Aged 14, Henson won the

Girls Amateur Championship The Girls Amateur Championship is a golf tournament held annually in the United Kingdom. Girls need to be under 18 on 1 January in the year of the championship. Until World War II the championship was organised by a series of magazines and always ...

in 1963, beating Barbara Whitehead, 2 and 1, in the final. The following year she made her debut for England in the annual

England–Scotland girls match The Girls Home Internationals was an amateur team golf championship for girls between the four Home Nations. Ireland was represented by the whole island of Ireland.The event was organised by The R&A. The inaugural event was held in 1969 and the ...

, and in 1965 she won the English girls title. In 1966, she was the losing finalist in both the English championship and the Girls Amateur Championship, losing narrowly to Barbara Whitehead and Jill Hutton. In 1967, Henson made her debut in senior events, playing for Great Britain in the

Commonwealth Trophy The Astor Trophy is a women's team golf tournament between teams of amateurs golfers from Great Britain and Ireland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. It has been played every four years since 1959. From its foundation until 2007 it ...

in Canada, for Great Britain & Ireland in 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 ...

and for England 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 1968, she made her debut in the

. She played regularly in international matches until competing in the Curtis Cup match in mid-1972. She was part of the team of three for the 1970 Espirito Santo Trophy, where they finished sixth. Henson was the leading Great Britain & Ireland scorer on each of the four rounds. Henson also had success individually. In 1968, she reached the final of the

English Women's Amateur Championship The English Women's Amateur Championship is the women's national amateur match play golf championship of England. It was first played in 1912 and is currently organised by England Golf. The English Women's Amateur Championship is contested thro ...

, losing to

Sally Barber Sally Barber ( Bonallack, born 9 April 1938) is an English amateur golfer. She won the English Women's Amateur Championship in 1978 and was twice a runner-up. She won the German women's championship in 1958 and played in the 1962 Curtis Cup. She ...

in the final. However, she met Barber again in the final in both 1970 and 1971, winning both times. In 1968, playing with Joan Dudok van Heel, she won the

Worplesdon Mixed Foursomes The Worplesdon Open Scratch Mixed Foursomes is an open mixed foursomes golf tournament contested annually at the Worplesdon Golf Club in Surrey since 1921. From its inception until the 1960s the event attracted many of the leading amateur golfer ...

. In 1969, she won the French International Lady Juniors Amateur Championship, an under-21 event. She was runner-up in the

Hovis International The Hovis International was a women's amateur 72-hole stroke-play event. It was held from 1964 to 1972. The event continued as the Newmark International. Some of the later events were open to professionals. Winners References {{Reflist Amateu ...

in 1969, 15 strokes behind

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 ...

, and was also a joint runner-up in the event in 1971. Also in 1969, she was a semi-finalist in the

, losing to

Ann Irvin Ann Leslie Irvin (born 11 April 1943) is an English amateur golfer. She won the British Ladies Amateur in 1973 and the English Women's Amateur Championship in 1967 and 1974. She was in four Curtis Cup teams, in 1962, 1968, 1970 and 1976. Amat ...

at the 19th hole. The following year, she won the event, beating

Belle Robertson Isabella Robertson (née McCorkindale) (born 11 April 1936) is a Scottish golfer who won the British Ladies Amateur in 1981. Robertson represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup as a player on seven occasions and twice as non-playi ...

by one hole in the final. She had led the stroke-play qualifying. Henson won the Wills Women's Match Play three years in succession, 1969, 1970 and 1971. In 1969, she was runner-up in the inaugural

Ladies' British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship Ladies' British Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship was founded in 1969 by the Ladies' Golf Union (now merged into The R&A) of Great Britain. A stroke play tournament over 72 holes, it was discontinued by the R&A after the 2017 tournament won ...

, although she was nine strokes behind the winner, Ann Irvin. Henson was married soon after competing in the 1972

and dropped out of international competition, returning in 1974. She competed in the 1974

Colgate European Open The Colgate European Open was a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1974 to 1979.Judy Rankin Judy Rankin ( Torluemke; born February 18, 1945) is an American professional golfer and golf broadcaster. A member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, she joined the LPGA Tour in 1962 at age 17 and won 26 tour events. Since 2010, Rankin has served a ...

. She was a joint winner of the

Newmark International The Hovis International was a women's amateur 72-hole stroke-play event. It was held from 1964 to 1972. The event continued as the Newmark International. Some of the later events were open to professionals. Winners References {{Reflist Amateu ...

in 1975, and won the event by nine strokes in 1977. Playing with

Jeremy Caplan Jeremy Caplan (born 9 October 1941) is an English cricketer. He played two first-class matches for Cambridge University Cricket Club Cambridge University Cricket Club, first recorded in 1817, is the representative cricket club for students ...

, she won the

for the second time in 1977. Henson made her fourth appearance in the

in 1976 and played for England in the Home Internationals for the final time in 1978.

Personal life

Born Dinah Oxley, she married James Henson in 1972. She died in 2020 aged 71.

Team appearances

(representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1968, 1970, 1972, 1976 *

(representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1967, 1969, 1971 (winners) *

(representing Great Britain): 1967 (winners), 1971 (winners) *

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 ...

(representing Great Britain & Ireland):

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

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 ...

(representing England):

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

(winners),

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 ...

(winners) *

(representing England): 1967 (joint winners), 1968 (winners), 1969, 1970 (winners), 1975 (winners), 1976 (winners), 1977 (winners), 1978 (winners) *

(representing England): 1964 (winners), 1965 (tie), 1966

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henson, Dinah English female golfers Amateur golfers 1948 births 2020 deaths