Huge incentive for women at Westlake
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 to the 2021 Race to Costa del Sol. And it’s open season for the 76th US Women’s Open in June.
Westlake Golf Club was bustling with excitement during the 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 one player in the field has already qualified – Celine Herbin from France – the other 114 competitors lining up in the €200 000 (about R3,4-million) 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 US Women’s Open was played directly after the US Open at Pinehurst. I travelled to the US with my fiancée (acclaimed South African coach Grant Veenstra) and we attended the US 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 have 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 sidelines.
“I spent the better part of the 2019 season on the bench due to hip surgery.
“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.”
The South African Women’s Open will be played from today to Sunday 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 highestranked 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 Order of Merit winner Monique Smit.