Luca Thompson is a Welsh international amateur golfer, currently focused on earning her professional tour card at Q School in December.
Luca qualifies for Wales through her father, Zac Thompson, a PGA professional. Golf runs in the blood, and when your dad is the proprietor and manager of Pavenham Park Golf Club in Bedfordshire, a tee time is never hard to come by.
At 22 years old, Luca already boasts an impressive list of accomplishments and golf trophies, including the Women’s County Champion of Champions title in 2022. Before the year is out, she hopes to add “professional golfer” to her résumé.
“I will hopefully be turning pro this December at Q School,” Luca told Fen Regis Trophies. “My main focus right now is just to keep getting good results and good experiences.”
Proud Welshwoman
Though born in Bedfordshire, Luca is proud to represent Wales in her sport. She earned her first call-up at a Home Internationals tournament in 2021, and she says it was a source of immense pride, not just for herself, but also for her proud Welsh family.
“It was a really proud moment,” she said. “My dad is so patriotic—watching Wales rugby on the TV and going down to Wales for the weekend.”
“I have always been around golf with my family,” Luca explained. “Though I didn’t actually get into it until I was 13… my dad didn’t really push me at all.”
Luca admitted that she was quiet during her first international camp, having not met any of her teammates beforehand. She is grateful for the support she received throughout the week, both on and off the course.
“It was hard because I hadn’t really met any of the team before,” she said. “I was going into a room of six girls who were really close, but it was a great experience.
“They are all such big personalities, and I kind of went in not really knowing what to expect and kept quiet for the whole week… we always joke about it now!
“Now I’ve gotten to know them all, and they are lovely girls. I am so lucky to have the kind of support I have from Wales, as it has really helped me to develop.”
Following in Her Father’s Footsteps?
With a PGA professional for a father, one might assume Luca grew up hitting balls on the green. Despite always being around golf, it wasn’t until her teens that she decided to take up the sport.
“Thirty years ago,” Luca said, “my dad and his father built a golf course in Bedfordshire, so I’ve always been around golf with my family. But I didn’t actually get into it until I was 13 years old.
“My dad didn’t really want to push me at all, so it wasn’t until some of my friends from school wanted to go to lessons at the club that I decided to join them.”
Luca added: “I was really into dance and running at a young age and spent every day after school doing that… I never really took much interest in golf.
“There was a boy who joined my school at the time, and he became really good at golf, so it kind of became cool. I wanted to give it a go then, and I loved it from the first minute!”
Naturally, Luca didn’t have to look far for a willing teacher, with her father having coached the likes of Ian Poulter, among many others.
“My dad was really on board,” said Luca. “He wanted me to learn like Tiger Woods—so rather than going straight onto the golf course, he worked on getting me a good swing and broke down each part of the game.
“After the first year, I was loving it, and I was begging him to take me out onto the range. I got all the basics right and went from there.”
With her eyes firmly set on Q School in December, Luca’s immediate goal is to make sure her game is where it needs to be to become the second professional golfer in the family. Regardless of the outcome, there can be no doubt about the work and preparation this father-and-daughter team will put in to give Luca the best opportunity to realise her dream.
By Aaron Gratton
