A German golfer has clinched her maiden European Tour title, remarkably 13 years after being given just a one per cent chance of survival following a car accident. Leonie Harm, now 28, was out jogging in 2013 when a vehicle travelling at 44mph struck her, causing severe brain injuries and multiple bone fractures. Paramedics at the scene delivered the grim prognosis, and Harm was left in a coma.
Nevertheless, she returned to the golf course in only seven weeks and won the National Women's Amateur title a year later. Harm later moved to the United States to study biochemical and biophysical sciences at the University of Houston, a decision inspired by her mother's tragic death from breast cancer in 2016. Alongside her studies, she continued to excel in golf, becoming the first German to win the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship in 2018 before turning professional in 2020.
Her progress was temporarily disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, during which she worked as an intern at a company developing a potential vaccine candidate. Harm continued to persevere in golf, securing runner-up finishes on the European Tour in 2021 and 2022. However, her form dipped, and in 2024 she considered quitting the sport amid various struggles.
But she bounced back spectacularly, securing a remarkable triumph at the German Masters on Sunday. Harm edged out South African player Casandra Alexander with a birdie on the final hole. Speaking after her victory, which came four years after she finished second at the same tournament, an elated Harm said: 'I'm really happy I got it over the line this time after coming close in 2022 and just being out here with all the German fans.'
She added: 'Resilience is a good thing, and I have shown this at times, but I believe right now I'm in a good spot mentally and for it to then be paired with success in golf is such a great feeling because I didn't have to be miserable. I could've been happy this whole time and it would have worked with a lot of the times where you get impatient to be more forgiving to yourself. A good takeaway there is to be your own best friend eventually and hopefully then be successful in working with yourself rather than against it which I've done for probably most of my life.'
