It has not been the best start to the 2023 season on the Ladies European Tour (LET) for Leonie Harm, but she is hoping that may change this week.
The German is looking forward to teeing it up in her homeland at the Amundi German Masters – tournament where she finished in a share of second place last year.
Golf & Country Club Seddiner See is the venue once again and there will be 126 players vying for the title which was won by Maja Stark in 2022.
The 25-year-old loves being able to play on home soil and in front of a home crowd and has enjoyed it as both an amateur and professional.
“Playing in Germany is always cool,” said Harm, who is this week’s guest on the LET Golf Podcast. “I don’t know why but for some reason, even in the national amateur tournaments, playing in Germany was always my favourite.
“Last year at the Amundi German Masters was my first time teeing it up as a professional in Germany so that was super cool. I love the golf course. It completely suits my eye.
“I was really positively surprised how many people came out to support last year. It was incredible because we’re quite a way out from Berlin, but a lot of people went through the hassle of getting out to watch women’s golf which I think is the greatest thing.”
It was a solid start to the year for Harm with a T13 finish at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco, but she then didn’t make the cut in the next three events on the LET.
The German then headed to the States to play on the Epson Tour before coming back and felt she was heading in the right direction after a T16 result in Belgium.
She explained: “I had some health problems early in the season that were unexpected. I had an allergic reaction and then my body was completely tossed off its rhythm. If you’re not feeling healthy and comfortable in your own skin, it’s difficult to swing a golf club.
“This year, coming off the back of a difficult start to the season, coming back to a golf course that I like is a great opportunity to turn the season around. I really hope I can capitalise on that.”
After her performance in last year’s edition, Harm is hoping she can get back on track when she tees it up alongside Austria’s Emma Spitz and Czechia’s Klara Davidson Spilkova at 9.50 am local time.
Having the support of the spectators is something to cherish and Harm wants to make the most of the week without putting too many expectations on herself.
She added: “It’s actually really exciting being one of the home favourites in a sense, just having fans on your side and having them be excited or disappointed for you when something happens.
“It makes everything mean more. You feel like you represent Germany a little bit when you’re at home compared to when you’re on the road.
“I’m not trying to put too much pressure on that and put too many expectations on myself, because that’s usually the killer of joy. It’s a gettable golf course, it’s scoreable, so I’m just going to try and give myself as many birdie opportunities as possible.”
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