15th February 2024 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Sunshine Ladies Tour has global appeal
GEORGE, Western Cape – The influx of international golfers on the Sunshine Ladies Tour is making it harder for South Africa’s women professionals to contend at home, but it’s a challenge that Lee-Anne Pace has welcomed.
The 2024 Sunshine Ladies Tour tees off its season at Fancourt this week with the R2.5 million Dimension Data Pro-Am on the Montagu and Outeniqua courses. The 54-hole tournament is played concurrently with the men’s Sunshine Tour’s Dimension Data Pro-Am.
The growth of the Sunshine Ladies Tour is reflected in the overwhelming international contingent competing this week.
“It’s nice to see the overseas support of the Sunshine Ladies Tour. It has grown a lot, but we are now finding it harder to win at home,” Pace said with a chuckle on the eve of Friday’s first round.
Of the 44 professionals in the field this week, 28 are from overseas.
“There’s a really strong overseas contingent coming to play and the fields on the Sunshine Ladies Tour seem to get stronger every week,” said Pace, who won this tournament in 2016 and finished second in a playoff in 2021.
“It’s a really good field this week and I think the scores are going to be quite a lot lower than last year. The courses are a bit softer than usual, and on the shorter side, so we can attack a little bit more. I think there are going to be a lot of birdies and as always, it’s going to come down to putting.”
Even though it is the start of the South African season, Pace is one of the players to bring some form into the event having finished in a tie for 11th at last weekend’s Magical Kenya Ladies Open, the first event of the new Ladies European Tour (LET) season.
“I felt really good on the last day and played really nicely for a 68, so I feel I do have a bit of form on my side,” Pace said.
Compatriot Cara Gorlei also finished in a tie for 11th and was leading the tournament before a 77 in the third round pushed her down the leaderboard.
This week’s field also includes France’s Anne-Lise Caudal, a two-time LET winner who finished second in last year’s Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am, Germany’s Carolin Kauffmann, who finished fifth in last year’s Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am, and Englishwoman Lauren Taylor, who has two top-10 finishes in this event.
South Africa’s challenge includes former champions Stacy Bregman and Lejan Lewthwaite.
19th October 2021 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Joburg Ladies Open graduates to co-sanctioned status
While the 2021 Joburg Open will usher in the start of the Sunshine Tour and European Tour’s major summer season in South African golf, the popular Joburg Ladies Open has earned co-sanctioned status.
The 2022 edition will be jointly hosted by the Sunshine Ladies Tour and the Ladies European Tour, will return to its home at Soweto Country Club from 3-5 March, boasting a prize fund of €250 000.
Former champions of the event include former Ladies European Tour Order of Merit winner Lee-Anne Pace, former LET champion Ashleigh Buhai, Kim Williams, as well as Nobuhle Dlamini, Monique Smit and Casandra Hall, who are all currently competing in Europe.
Meanwhile the R17.5 million Joburg Open will be played at Randpark Golf Club from 25-28 November.
One of the City of Johannesburg’s flagship sporting events will begin a three-week stretch of international golf tournaments in South Africa that will be followed by the South African Open Championship (December 2-5) and the Alfred Dunhill Championship (December 9-12).
“The Joburg Open has always been an important tournament to the City of Johannesburg because of the role it plays in showcasing the city to an international audience. I am delighted to be able to announce this year’s tournament which, now more than ever, is an important tool in our role as a city to continue to help stimulate the South African economy amidst the COVID-19 recovery,” said Matshidiso Mfikoe, the MMC for Finance for the City of Johannesburg.
“We are delighted to also announce the Joburg Ladies Open at Soweto Country Club. The rebirth of Soweto Country Club and its hosting of a professional tournament of this stature has been a shining example of what golf can do to uplift our community.”
Last November’s Joburg Open, won by Denmark’s Joachim B Hansen, was vital in stimulating the restart of the Sunshine Tour and South African professional golf following the hard lockdown. Hansen’s four rounds in the 60s helped him to a two-shot victory over home favourite Wilco Nienaber.
This will be the 14th edition of a tournament that boasts a strong list of past champions including former Masters winner Charl Schwartzel, PGA Tour winner Branden Grace, and multiple European Tour winners George Coetzee, Richard Sterne and Darren Fichardt.
“We are extremely pleased to announce the Joburg Open as the first tournament on our co-sanctioning schedule at the end of this year,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour.
“I’d like to the thank the City of Johannesburg for so graciously supporting us over the past several years. I would also like to pay tribute to the late Councillor Geoff Makhubo, the former Mayor of Johannesburg who sadly passed away. Councillor Makhubo was a very close friend of the Sunshine Tour and one of our greatest supporters who was passionate about seeing the Joburg Open succeed as a major international event for his city. Our thoughts will certainly be with him at this year’s tournament.
“We are also very proud to announce the co-sanctioning of the Joburg Ladies Open with the Sunshine Ladies Tour and Ladies European Tour, and to continue the important work at Soweto Country Club and this golf club’s role in inspiring a whole new generation of golfers.”
Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “The City of Johannesburg has been a loyal partner to a Joburg Open tournament that has played a key role in our longstanding relationship with the Sunshine Tour. I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to the City of Johannesburg, and also our condolences at the passing of Councillor Geoff Makhubo who was such a wonderful friend of this event over many years.”
Alexandra Armas, Chief Executive Officer of the Ladies European Tour, said: “We are delighted to add the Joburg Open to our 2022 schedule. Our sincere thanks to the authorities and the City of Johannesburg for supporting the women’s game. We have a longstanding relationship with the Sunshine Ladies Tour and the addition of a new co-sanctioned event will strengthen our collaboration and will impact positively on participation and interest in the women’s game in South Africa.”
2nd June 2021 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Pace will need her experience in US Women’s Open
2 June 2021 – Major championship golf, by and large, demands experience as a contributor to success, and Lee-Anne Pace has played in 33 majors ahead of the US Women’s Open which tees off on Thursday at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
The reigning Investec South African Women’s Open champion played her way into her seventh US Women’s Open with her victory on May 16 at Westlake Golf Club, and will be drawing on her experience in those six previous visits to the tournament to try and improve on her best finish of 43rd in 2017.
Her victory at Westlake came under trying circumstances, mostly as a result of the weather, but those would have prepared her to hang in there when the going will get tough as it inevitably does in any major championship. In the last three US Women’s Opens, of the 59 players who have played eight rounds or more, only five have cumulative scores of under par.
Lee-Anne Pace (credit Petri Oeschger/Sunshine Ladies Tour)
Pace will know that hanging in is making sure the simple things are done right, and that hitting fairways and greens will give her the best chance of making whatever few birdies are on offer.
The past 15 champions have shown well-rounded games en route to victory, but they have shone most brightly around the green. While they ranked 20th in the field on average in driving distance (249.6 yards) and about 25th in fairways hit (73.4 percent), they truly separated themselves by hitting 69.1 percent of the greens in regulation. They were on average third in the field with 3.96 birdies/eagles per round and had 29.3 putts per round.
The South African has a good record over a long Ladies European Tour career in terms of greens in regulation, hitting 62.8 percent of them over 183 tournaments, but she will be aware that she will have to make very sure of her accuracy throughout the week at the Olympic Club. And her putting over those many tournaments in Europe averages out at 30.04 per round.
She has the tools to go with her experience, but she is not the most experienced of the three South Africans in the field.
Ashleigh Buhai has 36 majors behind her, and will be playing in her eighth US Women’s Open with a best finish of 27th in 2017. With her experience in the United States – she plays on the LPGA Tour – she may well have a sense of comfort during a difficult week.
The third South African in the field is Nicole Garcia, who first qualified for the US Women’s Open at Pinehurst in 2014 through the European qualifier in England. Like Pace, she got in to this year’s tournament at the Olympic Club with her performance in the Investec SA Women’s Open at Westlake.
The tournament gets full coverage on SuperSport channel 201 from 11pm on Thursday.
Written by Mike Green for satourgolf.co.za
16th May 2021 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Historic 4th Investec South African Women’s Open title for Perfect Pace
16 May 2021 – Lee-Anne Pace was the home heroine once again as she clinched a record fourth Investec South African Women’s Open title, carding a final round of 72 for a one-shot win over Germany’s Leonie Harm.
In the Ladies European Tour (LET) curtain-raiser Pace’s victory, where she finished the tournament on two-over-par, at Westlake Golf Club also ensures she leads the 2021 Race to Costa del Sol.
“I’m so happy to win again. My last win on the LET was in 2014 and to get number 10 is just incredible,” said Pace, who was also the first Sunshine Ladies Tour golfer to win the flagship event three successive years in 2014, 2015 and 2017 (no event in 2016).
“It’s always nice to play to end the Sunshine Ladies Tour season and start the LET season here at home, and this year is it extra special. Thank you to all the golfers who made the effort to travel to South Africa to compete in this year’s Investec South African Women’s Open. Also, a big thank you to Investec and the City of Cape Town for your incredible support of women’s golf.”
After play was suspended with the leaders only midway through the third round, Pace – playing in the final group with Harm and compatriot Nicole Garcia – had plenty of golf left as they completed the third round before heading back out onto the course again.
But there was a surprise leader when the third round wrap up.
The LET’s youngest member, 17-year-old Pia Babnik, had carded 69 in the sunny conditions to see her level par for the tournament. The Slovenian teenager started the final round two shots ahead of Pace, who carded 73 and three clear of Harm and Garcia.
Babnik had a mixed final round and a pair of double bogeys at 16 and 18 saw her slip out of contention.
Lee-Anne Pace not only lifted her record 4th Investec South African Women’s Open at Westlake Golf Club on Sunday, but also banked the Investec Order of Merit title and became the first South African winner of the brand-new Investec Homegrown Award.; credit Roger Sedres.
Pace, who has dominated the Sunshine Ladies Tour since its inception in 2014 with 13 victories, knocked on the door all summer and she finally got the job done over the last 18 holes.
The 40-year-old offset a lone bogey with two birdies on the front nine and made another birdie on the par-4 12th. “I don’t know what happened on the last two holes; I think I realised I had it in the bag and just lost my focus,” said the South African, who held on to seal her 10th LET title despite finishing with successive bogeys.
“I’m actually quite glad I played out of the trees on the 18th and that I didn’t go for it, I thought I had to go for it, because the last scoreboard I had seen still had me at +1 and in second-place. My short game has been so good, so I thought if I play out on the green I would have a chance and the worst case was a play-off.
“I hit the ball on the right side of the hole for the whole day. There were a couple of putts that could easily have dropped that didn’t. I was very happy with my game, I hit a lot of the greens and I did it!”
There was a lot on the line for Pace, who not only walked away with the lion share of the €200 000 purse and the Investec Order of Merit title, worth R100 000. She also pocketed another R100 000 as the first South African winner of the brand-new Investec Homegrown Trophy.
US Women’s Open qualifiers at the Investec South African Women’s Open – Karolin Lampert & Leonie Harm from Germany and SA pair Lee-Anne Pace & Nicole Garcia; credit Roger Sedres
On top of this, Pace’s triumph at Westlake shot her to the top of the 2021 LET Race to Costa del Sol and earned her the first of four spots into the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open.
“The incentives to win this week was incredible. We really had so much to play for and I can’t be more excited. I am going for my US visa next week – Olympic Club, here I come,” said a jubilant Pace.
The 76th US Women’s Open takes place in June and the other three players who earned a ride into the second Major of the year was Harm, who recorded her best-ever finish on the LET at this tournament, as well as Germany’s Karolin Lampert and South Africa’s Nicole Garcia, who tied for third.
Garcia said: “That last putt for par on 18 was the most nerve-wracking putt I ever had to sink; I really wanted that US Women’s Open spot and the relief to see it drop was indescribable. I am absolutely over the moon that I nailed it. And I am so grateful to everyone that made this year’s Investec South African Women ‘s Open happen so we could get those spots.”
It was also a good news day for reigning South African Women’s Amateur champion Caitlyn Macnab, who lifted the Jackie Mercer Trophy as the leading amateur.
2021 Investec South African Women’s Open leading amateur Caitlyn Macnab; credit Roger Sedres
The GolfRSA No. 1 won the Jabra Ladies Classic three weeks ago and became the first amateur to win on the local professional circuit since Ashleigh Buhai’s SA Women’s Open win in 2007. The 19-year-old Glendower amateur improved every day, carding rounds of 77, 75, 74 and 73 to tie for 16th on 299.
SOCIAL MEDIA THIS WEEK
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Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
15th May 2021 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Pace, Babnik weather Cape storms to lead SA Women’s Open
15 May 2021 – Lee-Anne Pace and Pia Babnik will take a one-shot lead into the final day of the Investec South African Women’s Open after tying on two-over in battling the conditions during the weather-affected third round at Westlake Golf Club on Saturday.
Pace was walking down the ninth fairway and Babnik about to tee off on the 10th tee when the hooter sounded for the second time in 90 minutes.
“We had only been out for 30 minutes after the previous suspension when they called us off again,” said Pace, who is hunting a record fourth title in the Sunshine Tour’s season-finale. “The wind and the driving rain were relentless; we had come off when the course became unplayable and had to suspend again, so they made a decision was made to call it a day.”
The nine-time European Ladies Tour champion began the day on one-over and a shot behind overnight leader Nicole Garcia, while the 17-year-old Slovenian rising star was three off the pace.
“I’m glad I hung in there,” said Pace, who started with four straight pars before she sandwiched a birdie between bogeys on the fifth and seventh holes.
“It’s one thing playing in wind, but the playing this course in wind and rain is extremely hard. I nearly blew away on six, and on seven. It was just a disaster and I think they’ve made a good call. I am not complaining, because I was looking at a really long second shot on the ninth. It will still be a long shot on Sunday morning, but at least I’m not having to hit it into the wind. It’s quite tight at the top, but I think it’s going to be an exciting final day.”
Pia Babnik during round three of the 2021 Investec South African Women’s Open at Westlake Golf Club; Credit Petri Oeschger/Sunshine Ladies Tour
Babnik, who is starting her second Ladies European Tour season in South Africa, showed great maturity in the tough conditions. She threaded together a string of pars and turned with a clean card that sported a birdie on the par-5 seventh.
Garcia, meanwhile, started with a pair of bogeys and let another shot slip on the par-4 fifth. She will resume her campaign on Sunday morning on three-over.
“I had a few bogeys, but overall, I stuck in there. I holed some crucial putts from six to eight to keep the momentum,” said the Serengeti golfer.
“It was more Scotland than South Africa out there, and I must admit I was relieved when called us off, because the balls began moving on the greens. I was pleased with my game, though. I stayed calm, kept the clubs dry and tried to hit as many good shots as possible.
“I’m not out of it by a long shot, but even if I don’t win, I’m still fighting for a top four finish to earn that spot to the U.S. Women’s Open.”
Leonie Harm got off with a great birdie start, but the German golfer dropped three shots mid-round.
She moved to four-over with a fourth bogey on the seventh and was tied for fourth with Agathe Sauzon from France when play was called. Sauzon had just birdied the par-4 10th.
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Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
14th May 2021 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Garcia gains ground at windy Westlake
14 May 2021 – Nicole Garcia will take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the Investec South African Women’s Open after the course showed its teeth on Friday.
Taking advantage of an early start, Garcia picked up three birdies in a second round 73 at Westlake Golf Club to set the early clubhouse target at level-par.
With first-round leaders Lee-Anne Pace and Lydia Hall starting day two on two-under, the Serengeti golfer was hoping to finish in the top three, but a brutal North Westerly that gusted up to 35km per hour in the afternoon helped the three-time Sunshine Ladies Tour winner to the summit.
“I’m pretty happy with that,” said Garcia, who leads by one shot from three-time champion Pace and Germany’s Leonie Harm.
”If you had offered me rounds of 71 and 73 at the start of the week, I may have grumbled, but after the wind showed up on our back nine, I’m not complaining. It was pretty calm over the first 12 holes, but the last six holes played really tough. I suspected it would only get worse, but I didn’t expect to be leading. It’s a great position to be in with two rounds to play.”
Pace struck the ball well, but struggled for pace on the greens and she had a trio of three-putts in her round of 75 to finish joint second one-over. Harm, who also had a late start, made amends for back-to-back bogeys on 11 and 12 with a brace of birdies on 16 and 17 for a round of 72.
Kylie Henry also showed her affinity for windy conditions with an eagle at the par-5 13th and the Scottish golfer finished the day in fourth, just two behind Garcia after carding 72.
Garcia enjoyed her best season on the Ladies European Tour in 2018, but after finishing 47th in the Race to Costa del Sol, a hip and back injury put paid to her hopes of chasing down a maiden win in 2019.
“I spent the bulk of the season on the bench after surgery,” she explained. “I began hitting balls and preparing for a comeback on the 2020 Sunshine Ladies Tour late in the year, and I was thrilled with how I performed over the seven weeks.”
Garcia enjoyed three top 10 finishes and added the Canon Serengeti Par-3 Challenge to her winning tally.
“I was ready to take Europe by storm, but we no sooner kicked off the Ladies European Tour season here at Westlake, or it was over, due to the international Covid-19 pandemic,” she said. “It was a huge blow. I managed to play It has been two very frustrating years, so I am seriously pleased to make a good start. My ticket is booked for Italy next week and I can’t wait to get back out there.”
Nicole Garcia took the 36-hole lead in the Investec South African Women’s Open with a round of 73 to top the leaderboard at Westlake Golf Club on level par; credit Shannon Naidoo.
Garcia described her round as a “fighter’s round”.
“I hit some really good shots off the tee, but I got a few unlucky bounces and had some soft drops. I made some really good clutch putts for birdies to recover and to keep the momentum going.
“The course is in the best condition I’ve ever played it, but it is playing very long. Every single tee box is off the tips. You have to hit fairways and greens to score here, but I think it’s a great test. It’s a U.S. Women’s Open qualifier, so if you get a spot, you know you will be able to contend. I just want to keep it together on the weekend to give myself a chance.”
Pace got a little hot under the collar when her group was put on the clock on the back nine.
“I played well, especially on the back nine. I was really getting into the zone and hitting good shots on difficult holes. It played really long and I was hitting a lot of 5-irons, 6-irons and 7-irons into the greens,” said the 40-year-old.
“Then we got put on the clock for no apparent reason. Obviously if you are slow, they have to warn us but no-one was waiting behind us. I got annoyed and lost a shot on the par-5 (16th), but I made two really good pars to finish.”
The nine-time Ladies European Tour champion, holing a huge putt on 17 to save par and keeping her bid for a record fourth title alive with another great par save on the closing hole.
“The putt on 17 was from the fringe and my caddie actually gave me the line, because I was still seeing red. And I made a really good up-and-down for par on the last. So still in it with two days to go.”
Sixty-six players will contest the final two rounds after the cut fell at 12-over, including Jabra Ladies Classic winner and South Africa’s leading amateur Caitlyn Macnab and recent Nomads SA Girl’s Rose Bowl champion Isabella van Rooyen.
Macnab is eight over after rounds of 77 and 75, and Van Rooyen is a further two shots adrift, having signed for rounds of 76 and 78.
SOCIAL MEDIA THIS WEEK
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Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
13th May 2021 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Pace eyes record fourth at Investec SA Women’s Open
13 May 2021 – Lee-Anne Pace’s bid for an unprecedented fourth victory in the Investec South African Women’s Open got off to the ideal start with an opening round of 70, which earned the South African a share of the lead on two-under.
The Sunshine Ladies Tour’s most prolific winner was level through 15 holes at Westlake Golf Club she soared to summit with a timely eagle on the par-5 seventh.
Lydia Hall – another early morning starter – managed to get to three-under with a birdie on the par-3 15th, but a bogey on the next and two pars to finish for 70 left the Welsh golfer tied for the lead.
A number of players in the afternoon field tied to beat the clubhouse target and failed.
South African pair Nicole Garcia and former champion Tandi McCallum finished one shot adrift in joint third. Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson was four deep after nine holes, but slipped from contention with a double bogey at the 10th. A birdie finish for a round of 72 earned her a share of fifth with India’s Tvesa Malik.
Nine players tied for seventh on one-over, including Germany’s Karolin Lampert, the runner-up in 2018, and former Ladies European Tour winner Christine Wolf from Austria.
Pace closed out a record three successive victories in the flagship event at San Lameer in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
The nine-time Ladies European Tour winner has enjoyed 13 victories on home soil, winning every season since the Sunshine Ladies Tour launched in 2014. However, the winner’s circle has eluded the 40-year-old so far this year.
She certainly does appear to be trending towards a win after runner-up finishes in her last two starts and the veteran rolled back the years with a vintage display in perfect conditions in City of Cape Town.
Pace reversed an early bogey at the 12th with birdie at the next, followed by a string of pars until she eagled the 456m (499y), par five seventh.
“It was three great shots,” said Pace. “I went with the driver so I could push it a little further down the fairway. I had 220 to the pin, 194 front, which is the perfect 3-wood for me. It bounced straight, which was nice, and I rolled in a six-foot putt.”
The Investec Order of Merit leader has a slew of goals this week – a fourth Investec SA Women’s Open title, a spot in the U.S. Women’s Open, a fourth Investec Order of Merit win, a fast start to the Ladies European Tour season, the Investec Homegrown Award and building form for the Olympic Games.
“I have a lot on my mind, for sure, but you just try to push it back and play one shot at a time. I am just trying to hit the fairways and the greens, because it’s so important here. The greens are smaller this week, so if you hit them, you always have a birdie chance.
“I wanted a fast start, but I knew it was playing tough. I thought anything around level-par or a bit under would be good enough. So I am breaking the big goals into small goals, and I reached one of them today.”
Lydia Hall from Wales fired an opening two-under-par 70 to finish in a two-way share of the lead in the Investec South African Women’s Open at Westlake Golf Club.
Hall certainly didn’t regret her last minute decision to make the trip to South Africa.
“I was still undecided 30 minutes before the entries closed, but I decided to do it because I have done well here in the past,” said Hall, who offset a pair of bogeys with four birdies.
“The course is so much greener that we are used to seeing it in March. And it was a little wetter than normal. It’s playing quite a bit longer, off the back tips this year, but the set-up is good. It’s a good test.”
Hall tied for ninth in 2018 and fifth a year later – another reason she was keen to start the 2021 Race to Costa Del Sol in South Africa.
“I just really like this course. It’s tight off the tee and you have to shape a lot of shots off the tees and into the greens; that’s something I like doing,” Hall said. “And the greens here are so pure. Where you start it is where it goes. It stays on line.
“I hit a lot of fairways and greens, which is key to scoring well on this course. I had one or two errant tee shots and two bad iron shots, but I’ll head to the range to work out the kinks. With an afternoon start on Friday, I expect the course will be a lot drier and the greens will firm up, so I am pretty happy to start the week on two under.”
SOCIAL MEDIA THIS WEEK
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Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
12th May 2021 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Three things to look out for at Westlake
With the start of the 2021 Ladies European Tour season just 24 hours away and with four spots up for grabs in the U.S. Women’s Open, here are three things to look out for at the 2021 Sunshine Ladies Tour season-finale Investec South African Women’s Open.
Home favourites gearing up for start of LET season
A whole host of South African names will be teeing it up at Westlake Golf Club including 2010 LET Order of Merit winner Lee-Anne Pace.
The nine-time LET tournament winner – who finished 51st on last season’s Race to Costa del Sol – has recorded five top-ten finishes on this year’s Sunshine Ladies Tour and hopes to repeat the success of her 2014 South African Women’s Open triumph.
At the Jabra Ladies Classic back in April, Nicole Garcia tied for second and has had a further top-ten finish on the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
Last year’s Investec Order of Merit winner Monique Smit has three top-ten finishes to her name this year, while Lejan Lewthwaite claimed third place at the Cape Town Ladies Open at the start of last month.
Another home hope is Casandra Hall, who has been in excellent form so far in 2021.
A ninth-place finish at the Cape Town Ladies Open was followed by ties for 14th and 7th at the next two events before the 20-year-old clinched victory at the Joburg Ladies Open and secured a joint runner-up finish at last week’s Dimension Data Ladies Challenge.
Recent winners buoyant heading to Westlake
South African Hall hasn’t been the only LET member to find success on the Sunshine Ladies Tour in recent weeks.
France’s Manon Gidali secured her first professional win at the opening event of the 2021 Sunshine Ladies Tour season. The 27-year-old holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole of the Cape Town Ladies Open to triumph over Cara Gorlei.
Last season the French golfer, who finished 33rd on the Race to Costa del Sol, tied for fourth at the Investec SA Women’s Open and will be hoping to carry her good form with her.
Norway’s Marianne Skarpnord has also had a successful time while in South Africa, claiming joint seventh and 16th in her first two starts before winning the Dimension Data Ladies Challenge in a four-way play-off.
It was the 35-year-old’s 10th professional victory and her second on South African soil. One of Skarpnord’s four victories on the LET came at the 2013 South African Women’s Open and she will be hoping to continue the momentum built so far in South Africa.
Solheim Cup stalwart tees it up in South Africa
Another star teeing it up at Westlake Golf Club will be Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall, who has been an integral member of the European Solheim Cup Team in recent years. She has made appearances at the 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2019 – winning on three occasions – and claimed 8.5 points during that time.
Last season, Hedwall made six appearances on the LET and recorded two top-5 finishes, including joint third in the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic and third at The Saudi Ladies International. She finished the season ranked 17th.
The 31-year-old also produced one of the shots of the season when she sunk a hole-in-one in Dubai. With the Solheim Cup just a few months away, Hedwall will be looking for a fast start the LET season in Cape Town.
11th May 2021 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Open season at Investec SA Womens Open
11 May 2021 – It’s Investec South African Women’s Open week in Cape Town. That means it’s the 2021 Sunshine Ladies Tour season-finale. It’s the curtain-raiser for the 2021 Race to Costa del Sol. And it’s open season for the 76th U.S. Women’s Open in June.
Westlake Golf Club was bustling with excitement during Tuesday’s official practice round as the news spread that South Africa’s flagship event has been awarded four qualification spots for the season’s second Major.
With only two players in the field already qualified – Celine Herbin from France and Swiss golfer Kim Metraux – the other 113 competitors lining up in the €200 000 Sunshine Ladies Tour and European Ladies Tour’s co-sanctioned tournament will go all out to punch their ticket for the Olympic Club in June.
One golfer hoping to book a flight to San Francisco, is three-time Sunshine Ladies Tour winner Nicole Garcia.
“In 2014 I played the sectional qualifier at Buckingshire Golf Club just outside London. There were eight spots on offer and I grabbed one,” said the Ebotse golfer.
“I was so excited, because that year the U.S. Women’s Open was played directly after the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. I travelled to the US with my fiancée (acclaimed South African coach Grant Veenstra) and we attended the U.S. Open first, because he had some guys he coached in the field.
“Then it was my turn. I was only four months into my rookie season on the Ladies European Tour. I realised quickly that I was out of my depth. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, though; it really gave me a window into the world I have been working towards.”
With nearly 1 600 entries from 57 countries for this year’s Major in California, Garcia said South Africans has to step up in a big way this week.
“I’ve tried almost every year since, but lately we only got one or two spots in Europe, so it’s really tough. There are 24 sectional qualifiers in the United States and one in Japan, so this is a massive opportunity for us to get four Sunshine Ladies Tour members in the field. We simply must step it up this week.”
Garcia is champing at the bit to reboot her career after spending two years on the side lines.
“I spent the better part of the 2019 season on the bench due to hip surgery. I made a comeback to competitive golf on the 2020 Sunshine Ladies Tour, but just after last year’s Investec South African Women’s Open, the world shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s hard not to think what could have been if I hadn’t had the surgery, but I try to focus on the future. To get back out there this year and play again has been amazing so far and I am so ready to start the 2021 Ladies European Tour season this week.”
Christine Wolf – credit Tristan Jones / Ladies European Tour
Austrian golfer Christine Wolf has even more reasons to start the first event of the Ladies European Tour’s 2021 season with a bang.
The 32-year-old has an excellent chance of making Team Europe for the much-anticipated Solheim Cup this year. Wolf is currently tied 5th on the Europe Solheim Cup standings with LPGA Tour campaigner Carlota Ciganda from Spain and a fast start in the City of Cape Town could go a long way in gaining her a captain’s pick spot from Team Europe captain Catriona Matthews.
“I dream about making the Solheim Cup and that is one of the reasons I came to Cape Town,” said Wolf. “I’ve played every year, except last year. The tournament is always excellent, the course is always in great condition and the people in Cape Town are so hospitable and welcoming.
“It’s always a positive experience and with the added bonus of the U.S. Women’s Open spots, I wanted to start my season in South Africa. I am really hoping for a strong result this week that I can build on until Team Europe is decided after the AIG Women’s Open.”
The Investec South African Women’s Open will be played from 13-16 May over 72 holes, with a 36-hole cut to 60 and ties.
Two former champions will headline the local and international challenges.
Lee-Anne Pace, the highest ranked player in the field, will be targeting a record fourth victory and she is coming into the championship in hot form following five top 10 finishes on the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
Other South Africans to watch include Joburg Ladies Open winner Casandra Hall, SuperSport Ladies champion Michaela Fletcher, South Africa’s top ranked amateur, Caitlyn Macnab, who lifted the Jabra Ladies Classic title, five-time Sunshine Ladies Tour winner Stacy Bregman and last year’s Investec Order of Merit winner Monique Smit.
Marianne Skarpnord from Norway triumphed in a four-way play-off to lift the Dimension Data Ladies Challenge title at Fancourt on the weekend. It was her first appearance on the Sunshine Ladies Tour since she won the SA Women’s Open in 2013.
Skarpnord has some strong “wingwomen” in Solheim Cup stalwart Caroline Hedwall from Sweden, former Ladies European Tour winners Wolf, Herbin and Jenny Haglund from Sweden.
Other players to watch include 2021 Cape Town Ladies Open winner Manon Gidali from France, who tied for fourth last year and Maiken Bing Paulsen from Norway, who made her Sunshine Ladies Tour debut this season and currently ranks 8th on the Investec Order of Merit.
SOCIAL MEDIA THIS WEEK
#InvestecSAWomensOpen
#sunshineladiestour
#levelup (Sunshine Ladies Tour)
#RaiseOurGame (Ladies European Tour)
Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
7th May 2021 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Cowan takes pole at Dimension Data Ladies Challenge
6 May 2021 – Olivia Cowan will go in search of a maiden Sunshine Ladies Tour title on the final day of the Dimension Data Ladies Challenge at Fancourt after emerging from the pack in Friday’s second round.
Cowan, who made a late call to compete in the show-stopper on the Garden Route, started her campaign with a one-over-par 73 on the Montagu Course.
Four off the pace at the start of the day, the 25-year-old German made the most of her sponsor’s invitation on the Outeniqua Course, firing a stunning nine-under-par 63 to reach eight under for the tournament.
In a flawless performance, Cowan backed up an eagle start on the par-5 11th with seven birdies, including three on the bounce coming home.
She will take the largest 36-hole lead into the final round this season, with Emie Peronnin from France, three-time champion Kim Williams and eSwatini’s Nobuhle Dlamini tied for second.
Peronnin and Williams both carded 71s on the Montagu.
Dlamini, also playing the Montagu, was four behind overnight leader Tonje Daffinrud after an opening 73 on the Outeniqua course. At the turn, the 2019 champion looked very much like the player to catch Cowan after she birdied the third and eagled two par fives – four and 10. However, the only time she broke par coming home was with a bogey on 14th and a 68 left her in the three-way tie on three-under.
Cowan was understandably pleased with the day’s result.
“That was so much fun, especially after the start I had,” Cowan said. “I holed out for eagle on the first and birdied the next hole. I turned to my caddie and said: ‘Today we’re going to go low’ and I managed to keep the momentum going.”
Cowan put some space between herself and the pack with further birdies on 14 and 18 for an outward half of 31 and increased her advantage with a trio of birdies from the fifth.
“It could have been 10 under, but my birdie on 10 lipped out,” she said. “It was a bit unexpected, if I’m honest. I didn’t strike it very well on the Montagu and I wasn’t hitting it well on the range this morning. But those first two holes really set me up and I kept it going with good iron play and putting. Yeah, it was a lot of fun out there.”
Scotland’s Kylie Henry (69) and Astrid Vayson de Pradenne from France (72) tied for fifth on two-under and the internationally-flavoured leaderboard continued, with local favourite and former winner Monique Smit the only South African in the four-way tie at one-under.
Smit carded 72 to tie Norwegian pair, former SA Women’s Open champion Marianne Skarpnord (70) and Daffinrud (74), and Katerina Vlasinova from the Czech Republic.
Vlasinova was one-under when play had to be suspended due to darkness. The Czech golfer, Pasqualle Coffa from the Netherlands and Lora Assad will complete the round at 07h30 on Saturday. Following the cut to 30 and ties, the final round will be played on the Montagu course.
Cowan is looking forward to another strong performance to cap the week in George.
The Ladies European Tour campaigner kicked off her 2020 season in South Africa with a tie for seventh in the Investec South African Women’s Open at Westlake. The worldwide Covid-19 pandemic put paid to her hopes of winning a maiden title last year, but Cowan is holding out hope that 2021 will be season that delivers the breakthrough.
“The 2020 season was basically a write-off, but I am positive for this year. That’s why I came out earlier to use this week as preparation for the start of the Race to Costa del Sol in Cape Town and it would be great to leave Fancourt on a winning note,” Cowan said.
“The Montagu is the tougher of the two courses for me, because it plays longer and you can’t really fire at the pins. I managed to avoid bogeys today, which always sets you up for a better score, so that will be the strategy for tomorrow – hit fairways, hit greens, make putts and eliminate mistakes.”
Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour.