Jean Donald

Jean Macalister Donald (married name Anderson; 2 May 1921 – 16 May 1984) was a Scottish golfer.

Donald and her twin sister, Anne, were born in North Berwick on 2 May 1921, the daughter of Douglas Donald, a medical doctor.

She joined North Berwick Ladies Club in 1936.

Donald had some success before World War II.

In 1938, she played in the England–Scotland girls match and then reached the semi-finals of the Girls Amateur Championship at Stoke Poges, losing to Sheila Stroyan.

In 1939 she reached the final of the East of Scotland Championship, reached the last-8 of the Scottish Women's Amateur Championship, and, playing off a handicap of 5, won the Ladies' Open Highland tournament at Pitlochry.

In early June, she played in the Women's Home Internationals for the first time, Scotland retaining the title they had held since 1939.

The following week she again reached the semi-finals of the Womens Amateur Championship at Gullane, losing 7&5 to Babe Zaharias.

In late June she was part of the winning British team for the Vagliano Trophy in Paris and then won the French Ladies Open Championship the following week.

Donald reached the semi-finals of the 1946 Womens Amateur Championship at Hunstanton, losing 3&2 to the eventual winner, Jean Hetherington.

At the start of 1947 Donald won the East of Scotland title and then won the Scottish Women's Amateur Championship, beating Jean Kerr in the final.

She won the Scottish Women's Amateur Championship three times and played in the Curtis Cup in 1948, 1950 and 1952.

The early part of 1948 was dominated by the Curtis Cup at Royal Birkdale.

Donald was selected for the team after a series of trials.

The American side won the match comfortably, winning 6 matches to 2 with one match halved.

Donald won both her foursomes and singles matches.

Donald reached the final of the Womens Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes, losing by 1 hole to Louise Suggs in the 36-hole final.

Donald suffered a rare defeat to a British golfer when she lost at the last-32 stage of the Scottish Women's Amateur Championship, losing by 1 hole to Moira Paterson.

In 1949 Donald won the East of Scotland title for the third successive year and won the Scottish Women's Amateur Championship for the second time, beating Helen Holm 6&5 in the final.

Donald played in the 1950 Curtis Cup at the Country Club of Buffalo.

The Americans won 7 matches to 1, with one match halved, Donald losing both her matches.

The team later played a Canadian team, Donald winning both her matches in an 8–2 victory.

Playing with Tom Haliburton, Donald won the 1951 Sunningdale Foursomes.

In late 1951 Donald was part of a team of five women that toured South Africa, playing three unofficial test matches.

In 1952, Donald won the Scottish Women's Amateur Championship for the third time, beating Marjorie Peel 13&11 in the final at Gullane.

She had already been selected for the Curtis Cup team at Muirfield.

The British team took a 2–1 lead on the first day, Donald winning her foursomes match.

The singles matches were tied 3–3, to give Britain their first Curtis Cup win.

Playing in the first singles match, Donald lost by one hole to Dorothy Kirby.

In the Womens Amateur Championship Donald lost in the second round, by one hole to Claire Doran, one of the American Curtis Cup team.

In 1953 Donald and Tom Haliburton won the Sunningdale Foursomes for the second time in three years.

The following month she won the East of Scotland Championship for the fourth time, beating Helen Burton 7&6 in the 18-hole final.

It was her 7th appearance in the final in 8 years.

In May she reached final of the Scottish Women's Amateur Championship but lost 8&7 to Jessie Valentine in the 36-hole final.

Donald lost to Marlene Stewart by one hole in the semi-final of the Womens Amateur Championship.

Stewart was a member of the Canadian team that was playing in Europe in 1953.

The following week Donald was part of the British team that won the Commonwealth tournament at Formby.

She turned professional at the start of 1954 following a change in the rules regarding amateur status.

However, she lost in the first round of the Womens Amateur Championship to Clarrie Reddan at the 19th hole.

She reached the final of the East of Scotland Championship, losing 7&6 to Marjorie Peel, and lost in the semi-final of both the Womens Amateur Championship and the Scottish Women's Amateur Championship, losing 3&1 to Frances Stephens in the Women's Amateur, and at the 19th hole to Moira Paterson in the Scottish Championship, having been three up with four holes to play.