She announced herself with a third-place finish at the 2014 US Open.
But golf couldn’t have been further from her mind, the triviality of missed cuts, prize money and tour cards put firmly in perspective by the bad health of her father, Robert, who had been with her every step of the way, her parents giving up everything back home to up sticks and move to America for their daughter to chase her dream. A whirlwind and rollercoaster start to life on the tour, Meadow’s ecstasy at the US Open was followed by the agony of missing out on her tour card for the 2015 season after a playoff defeat at qualifying school. But in the space of twelve short months as a professional, Meadow experienced the thrilling highs and endured the crushing lows a game of such fluctuating fortunes can throw up.
The only way was up, and after rapid progression in her development, the general assertion was that Meadow would instantly become a mainstay on the LPGA Tour for years to come, bringing Irish women’s golf to new, rarefied heights. Having moved across the Atlantic to Hilton Head at the age of 14 to gain a richer golfing education in the States, Meadow rewrote the record books during her collegiate career, winning nine times in Alabama colours and becoming one of the most coveted players in the game.
