After a magnificent 2024 Manon De Roey finished her season on a high at the season ending Open de España pushing Carlota Ciganda all the way to finish runner-up in Malaga.
De Roey trailed Ciganda by four shots prior to the final round at Real Guadalhorce Club, but the Belgian briefly found herself tied with the Solhiem Cup star thanks to four birdies in her first 12 holes.
“I knew a needed to make a lot of birdies on Sunday,” she said. “She [Carlota] didn’t get off to a great start. But it was up-and-down all round.”
Unfortunately the birdies dried up for De Roey as Ciganda responded with red numbers of her own on 14 and 17 to clinch a one-shot victory and hoist her eighth Ladies European Tour (LET) title.
But for De Roey, the result capped off a remarkable 2024 as she recorded her best season on the LET finishing second in the Order of Merit.
“I’m very happy with my year,” the 32-year-old said. “It’s the best year I’ve had on tour and it was really cool to play in the final group on the last day of the LET season. That was really nice, a great way to finish.
“I got really close, But overall I’m really happy with how I played. Bogey-free again. I didn’t really make any mistakes.
“The crowds were great. They were also clapping for me which was nice. I think there were some Belgians in there, too! It’s great playing with Carlota [Ciganda]. She’s a great player and made some unbelievable up-and-downs today.”
The runner-up finish in Spain was De Roey’s tenth top-10 of the season – more than any other player in 2024 – helping her seal second place in the season-long standings behind Chiara Tamburlini.
Included in this incredible run was an appearance at the 2024 Olympic Games, another runner-up finish at the Hero Women’s Indian Open, two third place finishes in Kenya and France, and a dominant victory at the Investec SA Women’s Open back in April – her second LET title to date.
Finishing inside the top-10 on the Order of Merit, De Roey now has the chance to earn her LPGA card back at the Final Qualifying of Q-Series which takes place this week in Alabama.
“I’m think I’m ready to go,” the Olympian said. “I know what to do out there. I’ll keep grinding for another few days then home for Christmas!”
