Why Kiran Matharu is a diamond

REGULAR readers of Lady Golfer will know all about the player Im going to write about this month Kiran Matharu.

For the three years I have been writing this column, she has appeared in this magazine on a frequent basis.

I remember the first time I had heard about her, a girl from Leeds with an Asian background who hits the ball like a dream.

Soon after I got my copy of Lady Golfer through the post and there she was, talking about her future ambitions.

I think she was about 14 then and its really tough at that age to sound positive without being boastful but if memory serves me, Kiran managed that pretty well.

At that stage she was a fairly shy young girl and, while shes now not exactly an extrovert, she has definitely come out of her shell.

Some people have likened Kirans career to mine, not least the person at Lady Golfer who has encouraged me to write this column!

So, here it is, as requested! I can see what those people mean though, there are similarities between us and the way our careers have developed.

For a start, we are both very much family orientated. Anyone reading my column last month will know how much my mum and dad have done for me over the past 12 years.

The same is true of Kiran. Her dad has been a driving force in her career to date and by all accounts remains so.

I also think her brother was caddying for her in Dubai at the end of last season, so clearly there is a strong family unit behind her and, as Ive said before, I believe that is an absolutely vital part of a players success.

I have heard suggestions her father has pushed Kiran too hard at times but I must say Ive seen no evidence of that and, at the end of the day, she is now a tour player having enjoyed a successful amateur career.

Something is going right somewhere along the line, put it that way.

For a start, as pictured above, shes already met Shane, Mark, Nicky and Kian from Westlife when she won the Astra Junior Sports Personality of the Year at the Sony Asian Sports Personality Of The Year Awards at the London Hilton!

The other striking similarity between us that we both suffered Curtis Cup disappointments before turning pro.

Mine came when I wasnt selected for the side while Kirans arrived when she was but then was barely played.

Fortunately I managed to bounce back from that disappointment and soon after became established on the Ladies European Tour.

Kiran has pretty much done the same having gone to Bandon Dunes in 2006 as probably our best player (only Melissa Reid could possibly challenge that suggestion) and ended up not playing at all on the second day.

I saw a bit of the action on television and I must be honest and say that decision surprised me, as it did a lot of other observers.

Its difficult to imagine that Kiran couldnt have helped the GB