By Patrick Taylor

Darwin Golf Club’s amateur sensation Skye Lampton was surprised to hear her name announced as Sportsperson of the Year at the recent NAIDOC Gala Ball and Awards Ceremony.

The 27-year-old Dagoman, Wardaman and Gurindji woman says she didn’t prepare a speech but was very emotional as she approached the stage to accept the award.

“The theme of NAIDOC this year is ‘for our elders’, which really hit home… My Nana passed away when I was in the (United) States and I couldn’t get back in time,” she said.

“It was hard to talk up there, but [the award] means the absolute world to me.”

Lampton is proud to see golf represented in these awards, where traditionally other sports have taken the spotlight, a reflection of the growing interest and engagement in golf.

Referencing community clinics across the Northern Territory, Lampton is excited to see more and more people taking to the game, especially her cousins and nieces and nephews in Katherine.

“They called me up and said ‘Skye! We’re playing golf!’,” she laughed. “They took the kids down for two days, and now they’re obsessed.”

Lampton has a busy six months ahead, travelling to Western Australia, Queensland, and Adelaide for big amateur tournaments where she will be looking to build on her already impressive tournament record.

In November last year, Lampton, who only started playing golf regularly in 2019, was victorious in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Championships in Perth and she also won the NT Foursomes Championships women’s title in Alice Springs and played in this year’s Australian Amateur Championship in Sydney.