Busy LETAS schedule tees off next week

LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS RELEASE
The launch of the Ladies European Tour Access Series 2015 season will begin next week with the Open Generali de Dinard at Dinard Golf in northern France from the April 16-18. This year’s international schedule will feature a minimum of 15 tournaments in 10 European countries.

The first event will be followed by the OCA Augas Santas Ladies International Open, at Augas Santas Balneario and Golf Resort in Spain, on April 29-May 1.

A week later, LETAS moves to Switzerland for the second ASGI Ladies Open at Gams-Werdenberg Golf Club, on May 7-9. A fortnight in the Nordic region follows with the PGA Halmstad Ladies Open at Haverdal Golf Club in Sweden on May 22-24 and the Drobak Ladies Open at Drobak Golf Club in Norway on May 29-31, which are both making their LETAS debuts.

The second tournament in France, the Open Generali de Strasbourg, takes place at Golf de Strasbourg in the earlier summer date of June 11-13. The Borås Ladies Open, played at Borås Golf Club in Sweden, from July 3-5, will be followed by the CitizenGuard LETAS Trophy, which will take place for the second year at Rinkven Golf and Country Club in Belgium on July 16-18.

A new tournament in Germany, scheduled from July 30-August 1, will provide an incredible opportunity for local golf fans to experience the excitement of women’s golf ahead of The Solheim Cup seven weeks later.

With a purse of €50,000, the CreditGate24 GolfSeries Hamburg Open at Treudelberg Golf Club, promises to be one of the biggest events of the season. The CreditGate24 GolfSeries will also feature a charity pro-am scheduled for the June 24 at Golf Park Waldkirch in Switzerland, which will become a full tournament in 2016, along with a further new event in Austria, to form the CreditGate24 GolfSeries, similar to the French-based Generali Ladies Tour and Nordic-based Nordea Tour.

The German event ending on August 1 immediately precedes a four week swing in the Nordic region, with the Norrporten Ladies Open at Sundsvall Golf Club in Sweden on August 6-8, the Larvik Ladies Open at Larvik Golf Club in Norway on August 11-13, the Sölvesborg Ladies Open hosted by Fanny Sunesson at Sölvesborg Golf Club in Sweden on August 20-22 and the HLR Golf Academy Open at Hillside Golf Club in Finland on August 28-30.

After a one month break in September, LETAS continues with the popular Azores Ladies Open at Golf de Batalha, Azores Islands, Portugal, on October 2-4. Then, for the second successive year, the season will come to a gripping climax in southern England with the WPGA Challenge at Stoke by Nayland Hotel Golf and Spa on October 8-10, where the top five players on the LETAS Order of Merit will receive membership of the 2016 Ladies European Tour. 

LETAS Tour Director Di Barnard commented: “Now in its sixth year, the LET Access Series is going from strength to strength and we are delighted to offer a full schedule of playing opportunities for competitive female golfers looking to develop their game and move up through the LET’S development pathway.

" I would like to thank all the federations, sponsors and promoters for their continued support of LETAS, which is helping to grow and progress the women’s game.”  
APRIL-MAY-JUNE EVENTS ON LETAS TOUR

April 16 - 18
FRANCE
Open Generali de Dinard
Dinard Golf, Saint Briac Sur Mer, France
EUR 30,000

Apr 29 - 1 May
SPAIN
OCA Augas Santas Ladies International Open
Augas Santas Golf Resort, Spain
EUR 35,000

May 7 - 9
SWITZERLAND
ASGI Ladies Open
Gams-Werdenberg Golf Club, Switzerland
EUR 30,000

May 22 - 24
SWEDEN
PGA Halmstad Ladies Open by Haverdal
Haverdal Golf Club, Haverdal, Sweden
EUR 35,000

May 29 - 31
NORWAY
Drobak Ladies Open
Drobak Golf Club, Drobak, Norway
EUR 35,000

June 11 - 13
FRANCE
Open Generali de Strasbourg
Golf Club de Strasbourg, Illkirch-Graffenstaden, France
EUR 30,000

South African Sunshine Ladies Tour will have recor prize money on offer next year 

JOHANNESBURG -  A bumper bonus pool worth R1-million for the season-ending Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies, record prize money and 54-hole tournaments are just some of the exciting incentives in store for South Africa's Sunshine Ladies Tour in 2016.
Sunshine Tour chief executive Selwyn Nathan confirmed that the 2016 Sunshine Ladies Tour will feature at least eight events in 2016, offering prize money in excess of R2.6-million.
“Investec has extended their commitment for a further three years and increased their investment to R2.5-million,” Nathan confirmed.
“Investec is taking the bonus pool for the Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies 2016 to R1-million, which marks an increase of R400,000. All the qualifying events will also carry minimum purses of R200,000, which is double the prize money on offer this year.
“We are very pleased with the growth of the Sunshine Ladies Tour since its inception in 2014 and delighted to confirm that all the sponsors have committed to the 2016 season.
“More importantly, all the qualifying tournaments in the Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies  2016 will be contested over 54 holes, which takes us one step closer to gaining world ranking points for the players.”
Women’s PGA of South Africa (WPGA) chief executive officer Barbara Pestana welcomed the added incentives for 2016 season and said this bodes well for the future of the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
“We were very pleased with the growth of the Tour, and we are indebted to all the sponsors who are helping us grow the domestic women’s game,” Pestana said.
“The additional investment from Investec and the welcome addition of the Cape Town Ladies Open to our schedule is an incredible boost for the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
“Investec and the Sunshine Tour has been fantastic in their efforts to help us grow a really competitive platform for our top golfers and emerging stars and we are very thankful for their continued support.
“The added incentives are wonderful for our leading professionals, who have shown overwhelming support for the Sunshine Ladies Tour in the last two years, and for the next generation of future champions, who can hone their games on a really competitive Tour on home soil.”
Two-time Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies champion Lee-Anne Pace said the 2016 Sunshine Ladies Tour will herald a new era in women’s professional golf in South Africa.
“The R1-million bonus pool for the Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies, the increased prize money and the 54-hole events will put the Sunshine Ladies Tour on par with other international Tours,” the world number 31 said.
“It will definitely further encourage us to start the season on home soil and I believe the 2016 season will draw an even larger international presence.
“This year we saw a larger number of international entries from Great Britain, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, Nigeria, Namibia and Swaziland. The added incentives will make the Sunshine Ladies Tour a very attractive proposition at the start of the season. More international competition is great for the seasoned pros, but also valuable for the emerging stars, who can test themselves on a really competitive circuit on home soil.”
Heather Casey from Investec said they were pleased to extend their relationship with the Sunshine Ladies Tour. 
“We have enjoyed being a part of the growth in Ladies golf over the last two years and look forward to continuing this platform, allowing the top female golfers in South Africa to compete professionally,” Casey said.