From around the world to

compete at the Ladies'

European Tour School

FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
The Ladies European Tour Pre-Qualifying School takes place over the North and South courses at La Manga Club in Los Belones, Murcia, Spain, from Wednesday of next week.
The Final Qualifying School, also over 72 holes, will be contested over the South course from Monday to Thursday the following week.
In all, 137 players are hoping to earn one of the 30 cards available to compete on the LET throughout the 2009 season. England’s Henrietta Zuel (winner of the 2007 British girls championship as Henrietta Brockway, pictured above by Tom Ward Photography), Sweden’s Anna Nordvist and Julieta Granada from Paraguay are part of the field and will make their first attempts at qualifying for the LET.
Zuel made her pro debut at the Garanti American Express Ladies Turkish Open in May 2008 and finished third at last year’s S4C Wales Ladies Championship while playing on an invitation. Nordqvist, the 2008 British amateur champion, was the top ranked player in US women’s college golf and was leading amateur at both the 2008 RICOH Women’s British Open and the Scandinavian TPC Hosted by Annika on home soil.
Granada is the most decorated entrant. She won a first prize of US $1 million at the 2006 ADT Championship on the LPGA Tour and also steered her country to victory at the 2007 Women’s World Cup of Golf alongside her compatriot Celeste Troche.
The trio is joined by Kristie Smith from Australia, who made her professional debut at the 2008 Scandinavian TPC Hosted by Annika in Sweden in August and who was the leading amateur at both the 2008 ANZ Ladies Masters and MFS Women’s Australian Opens.
Her compatriot Stephanie Na, the No 1 Australian amateur, is also making the long haul flight across to Europe.
In addition, five of last year’s eight Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup team members are in the field: No 1 English amateur Elizabeth Bennett, Florentyna Parker from England, Breanne Loucks, who is based in Wales, along with Scotland’s Michele Thomson and Krystle Caithness. Overall, England is represented by the most players (20) followed by Sweden (15), France (11), Scotland (10), Australia and Finland (8 each), Denmark, Spain and Wales (6 each), Italy (5), Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland (4 each), USA, South Africa and Belgium (3 each) Germany, Japan, Korea, and Russia (2), Austria, Estonia, Argentina, Canada, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Norway, Malaysia, Paraguay, Portugal and Slovakia (1).
A total of 107 players representing 32 different countries will contest Stage I, Pre-Qualifying, over four rounds from Wednesday to Saturday, January 7 to 10.
The leading 60 players and ties from Stage I will join 30 others who are already exempt to make a field of 90 players and ties at Stage 2 Final Qualifying, which will be played on the South course from Monday to Thursdsay, January 12 to 15.
All competitors at the final stage will play three rounds following which a cut will be made to the leading 50 players and those tied for 50th place. At the conclusion of 72 holes, all players will be ranked according to their final totals, with the leading 30 players awarded category 8a, which offers the opportunity to play in most tournaments.
Positions 31-50 and ties will be offered category 10b, which offers limited opportunities to play in LET events.
COLIN FARQUHARSON'S SCOTSWATCH:
Eight Scots, five of them amateurs, are in action in the Pre-Qualifying Tournament over four rounds. Two of them are 2008 Curtis Cup team amateurs, Michele Thomson (McDonald Ellon) and Krystle Caithness (St Regulus) who has cut short a four-year golf scholarship at the University of Georgia.
The other Scottish amateurs are international team members Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder) and Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) as well as Jocelyn Carthew (Ladybank), beaten by Michele Thomson in last year's Scottish women's amateur championship final at Lossiemouth.
The three others are professionals, two of them who have been based in United States since their college days - Vikki Laing, a Curtis Cup player as an amateur and multiple-winner of the Scottish girls' match-play title, and Pamela Feggans who also played for Scotland as an amateur.
Karyn Burns has been a coach at Mearns Castle Golf Academy since she turned pro several years ago.


Two former Scottish amateur champions, Jenna Wilson (Strathaven) and Lynn Kenny (Archerfield Links), will come into action at the Final Q School, not having won enough money in 2008 to retain their players' cards.


It was Jenna's rookie year as a professional but Lynn left the amateur ranks several years ago.