The Irish Times/Sport Ireland Sportswoman Award for July: Beth Coulter (Golf)When you turn professional in sport you do, of course, dream of getting off to a flying start. More realistically, though, you just want to find your feet, ease yourself in to this new world in a steady-as-she-goes kind of way. Beth Coulter had no such patience. It was on the last day of July that the 22-year-old from Co Down only went and won her first tournament as a professional, less than a week after leaving the amateur ranks. She beat South Korea’s Ayeon Yang on the first sudden-death playoff hole at the Irish Challenge in Malahide.Coulter opened her tournament with a disappointing 74, but she moved into contention with a second round 67 that featured seven birdies. And in the third and final round she made a 25-footer for birdie on the 17th to set up her playoff against Yang. That playoff on the par-five 18th was as good as over when Coulter sent her second shot to within 20 feet of the pin. Her birdie, combined with Yang’s bogey six, capped a memorable start to her career in the professional ranks. Not only was it a huge achievement to win on her pro debut, Coulter also became the first Irish woman to win a professional tournament in the Republic of Ireland.The Irish Challenge forms part of the LET Access Series, with the top seven in its order of merit automatically earning their cards for the top level European Tour. After Malahide, Coulter entered that order of merit at 14 – and within a week, she was up to sixth. Beth Coulter on the second hole at Malahide Golf Club during the Irish Challenge. Photograph: LET Access Series She came mighty close to making it two wins out of two when she forced another playoff at the CSK Steel Women’s Open in Denmark, this time losing out to Sweden’s Moa Svedenskiold. A messy playoff it was too, as our Philip Reid explained. Coulter was given a one-stroke penalty after picking up her ball when she thought Svedenskiold had won. But the Swede was handed a two-stroke penalty for building a stance in the bunker, the mass confusion finally ending on the fourth playoff hole when Svedenskiold prevailed. [ How Irish caddie Shane Codd helped Jenny Shin keep her nerveOpens in new window ]The upshot, though, was that Coulter, after just two tournaments, found herself in a slot that, if she can hold on to it, would see her earn that European Tour card and not have to endure December’s nerve-shredding Q-School. The Arizona State University graduate and two-time Curtis Cup representative has been Ireland’s leading amateur over the past few years. Fair to say, her life as a professional hasn’t started too badly either.Previous monthly winners – December: Lauren Walsh (Golf); January: Michelle Clarke (Basketball); February: Sarah Lavin (Athletics); March: Kate O’Connor (Athletics); April: Eve McMahon (Sailing); May: Siobhán Rutledge (Horse racing); June: Caitlin Hayes (Soccer).