Anna Rawson is living the dream – with model looks and a golf game good enough to win professional tournaments. Will Spence found out how she reached the top
She is now one of the most recognised female golfers on the planet.
Her looks have transported her onto the covers of countless magazines around the world, and while she may have first come to the attentions of golf fans in Britain through lads’ mags like FHM, there is much more to Anna Rawson than just a pretty face.
An accomplished model, having strutted her stuff on the catwalk for top fashion labels Channel and Escade, she is also a co-designer of the latest J. Lindeberg golf collection.
And all this alongside a playing career that has seen her juggle tournaments across four continents.
“Life is busy! But that is the way I have always known it,” Rawson told Lady Golfer.
“I definitely work best when I have a million things to get done. When I have nothing to do I am hopeless!”
For Rawson, this whirlwind way of life has been the same for the last 12 years.
“Both careers kind of took off at the same time. Around 16 years old, I was working as a model and started to take my golf seriously.
“But now, I think I have one of the most enriched lives of someone my age and I’ve been fortunate enough to see the world.
“Sure it can be difficult at times, but I feel so lucky to be able to simultaneously do two things I love.”
Winning a competition to be the face of Australian teen magazine Dolly opened the door to the world of modelling at an early age, a realm where Rawson has been in great demand ever since.
It has brought her to the attentions of some of the fashion industry’s top designers.
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Comparisons have been drawn between herself and fellow Australian Jan Stephenson, who back in the late 70s and early 80s, pioneered the idea that women golfers could not only be successful but glamorous too.
I was working as a model and started to take my golf seriously.
Possessing model looks and a game that brought her three Majors and 13 other tour victories are qualities that have obviously inspired Rawson, who said: “I love Jan – she is an amazing woman. I admire all her accomplishments. I definitely aspire to have a career like her.”
And while Rawson has her own batch of heroes, she also sees herself as a groundbreaker and someone who can also inspire the next generation of female golfers.
“My manager and I always wished we had someone to follow,” she explained. “The problem is no one legitimately does what I do, so
we’ve had to make it up as we go along.
“Sure there are parts of other people’s careers that I like, Jan being one, but I also love what Beyonce Knowles has been able to do. I love what being an amazing singer has given her access to.
“I’m very passionate about drawing young women to the game,” added the 28-year-old.
“I believe there are a lot of stars that young girls can look up to and want to be like.
“Now that golf is becoming more mainstream, it’s allowing the stars of the game to be involved with more things outside their sport and I believe that younger girls will realise the potential that golf can provide.”
This ability to diversify has opened up a plethora of opportunities for Rawson too, the latest being a co-designer of one of the most talked about fashion brands in golf, J. Lindeberg.
“I was so excited to work with JL. I already loved their designs, so it was easy to come in and add some slight touches.
“My influences come from the runway and fashion magazines. I see no reason why high fashion shouldn’t make it to the golf course.
“People will always love fashion, it defines people and makes us all different. It’s an expression, of someone saying ‘this is who I am’.
“It’s a way of looking into someone’s personality. I can tell a lot about a person by what he or she chooses to wear.
“For those reasons, fashion is showing up on the golf course. There is no reason why a person should change their style for a sport.
“I think golf is doing a great job of embracing that, especially with all its traditions.”
Read part two of our exclusive interview with Anna Rawson by clicking here.
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