IONA STEPHEN FACTS
1. Stephen was born on December 27, 1991 near St Andrews in Scotland.
2. Stephen played four different sports at junior international level (squash, hockey, lacrosse, athletics) before taking to golf at university. It was thanks to a sport transfer scheme that Iona was given the opportunity to take up golf and knew from the very start she wanted to reach the professional ranks.
3. She quickly took to the game of golf as she played four years as an amateur and got down to a handicap of +3. She also broke three course records along the way too.
4. While at the University of St Andrews, Stephen studied History of Art.
5. Not only does she have a degree from university, but she also has a diploma in Sports Nutrition, and a level 2 PT qualification as well.
6. In 2016, Stephen turned professional and made her debut on the Ladies European Tour in December 2016 at the Qatar Ladies Open. Unfortunately, she missed the cut in the tournament.
7. Stephen's professional playing career was cut short after just 18 months in due to a long-term wrist injury.
8. In 2020, Stephen joined the Sky Sports Golf team and in 2021, Iona made her debut with the BBC Golf Commentary team for the first men's Major of the year, The Masters.
9. Per her website, Stephen made history in 2021 when it was announced that she would become "the first ever female on-course commentator in EA Sports gaming history with the release of their latest golf game, Road to The Masters."
10. As well as being an ambassador for EA Sports, Stephen's other brand partners include Titleist, The R&A and Loch Lomond Whiskies.
11. Alongside working for Sky Sports and CBS in America, Stephen has hosted several prize presentations at a variety of marquee golf events such as the 2023 Ryder Cup and the 2024 DP World Tour Championship.
12. Outside of golf, Stephen is an ambassador for the charity BIG CHANGE, supporting young people throughout the UK to thrive in life, not just exams.
13. Since August 2024, she has hosted a Friday evening slot on iconic British radio station, Classic FM.
14. Stephen has a YouTube series called 'On the Road with Iona' in which she speaks to a wide variety of different figures within golf and tells their stories.
