SLT ladies primed for action

Lee-Anne Pace, Ashleigh Simon and Paula Reto tee off in the Kia Classic on the LPGA Tour tonight, a bevy of Sunshine Ladies Tour campaigners are duelling against the cream of the Ladies European Tour in the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco, while Ulrika van Niekerk will fly the lone South African flag in the Symetra Tour’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic at Lake Wales Country Club on Friday.

Pace flew straight to California after wrapping up a second successive on the Sunshine Ladies Tour with victory in the Investec Cup for Ladies on Sunday.

The two-time Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies champion will be looking to extend her winning run in the curtain-raiser to the season’s first Major in her first start on the United States.

Simon won the Sunshine Ladies Tour Open and tied for second in the SuperSport Ladies Challenge before she teed it up in the JTBC Founders Cup last week.

She made the weekend in San Diego and will be hunting a top 10 finish at the Park Hyatt Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad to join Pace and Reto in the ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage next week.

Over in North Africa, Stacy Bregman leads a six-pack of Sunshine Ladies Tour regulars in the €450,000 Ladies European Tour event in Morocco.

Bregman tied for 10^th at Golf de l’Ocean in Agadir last year, but having notched a hat-trick of victories on the Sunshine Ladies Tour in recent weeks, the Johannesburg professional will aim to ride that rich vein of form to a maiden LET victory.

Nicole Garcia, who won her maiden pro title in the Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies at Glendower in February, and Monique Smit, a two-time Sunshine Ladies Tour winner last season, are both hunting more success in Morocco.

The pair claimed top 10 finishes at the Qualifying School in December and are looking to make the weekend in their first LET start.

Namibia’s Bonny Bredenhann carded successive rounds of 71 at the Lost City Golf Course on the weekend to claim the runner-up spot in the Investec Cup for Ladies and will also be aiming for a fast start in Morocco alongside England’s Lucy Williams, who also qualified for the season-finale.

However, former Sunshine Ladies Tour champion Kim Williams probably has the most at stake this week.

Williams lost her LET card at the end of 2014 and will want to make the most of a sponsor’s invitation into this week’s event. A strong performance could add to her limited starts on the LET this season and open the door to get back on the international Tour.

LET winner Connie Chen completes the South African line-up.

Meanwhile defending champion Charley Hull will be hunting repeat success in Agadir.

The 19-year-old from Northamptonshire broke through for her maiden LET title when she defeated seasoned French player Gwladys Nocera in a play-off last year.

PHOTO – Lee-Anne Pace; credit Catherine Kotze / SASPA