Camille Chevalier from France is looking for a top finish in her first appearance at this week’s Omega Dubai Ladies Classic at Emirates Golf Club to confirm her position as the LET’s Rookie of the Year.
The 23-year-old from Aix-en-Provence claimed her maiden title at last month’s Hero Women’s Indian Open and sits approximately 31,000 euros ahead of second ranked rookie Jenny Haglund from Sweden heading into the season-ending tournament.
Chevalier has earned 62,985 euros from eight tournaments this year and with the first prize worth US$75,000, or approximately 63,246 euros, any of the other first year members in the field could effectively seal the leading rookie title with a victory in Dubai, if Chevalier missed the cut.
Haglund or Luna Sobron, ranked third in the rookie race with 28,163 euros in season’s earnings, could mathematically overtake Chevalier with a runner-up finish, worth US$45,000, or 37,949 euros.
However, Chevalier is determined to end her debut season on a high.
“I am very motivated, because I will be playing against great players and I want to figure well in the tournament,” said Chevalier, adding: “A win would be awesome. If not, a top 10 will be okay. I came here to win. If you don’t come to win, then why do you come?”
Chevalier is keenly aware of the stakes this week and said that being named Rookie of the Year would be a special achievement.
“It will be awesome because it will mean that I managed to give everything I have this season. It was my goal, so I’m excited and it means I improved since I got here. I decided to go pro last year and before that, I really didn’t want to go pro. I wanted to create a company and work in business. I wanted to create a start-up in innovation and energy. I studied business, so this wasn’t my goal at first and I set new goals at the beginning of the year and it would mean that I managed to achieve my goals, which would be great.”
Haglund and Sobron both flew in late from the LPGA Final Qualifying School in the United States and have not had the chance to play a practice round, but the fourth ranked rookie, Meghan MacLaren, who won the 2017 LET Access Series Order of Merit, has the advantage of having played in the tournament last year.
The other first year LET members in the field include third ranked Valdis Thora Jonsdottir from Iceland, Inci Mehmet from England and Celina Yuan from Australia, whom are looking to add their names to the prestigious list of names below.
Past LET Rookies of the Year
1984 Kitrina Douglas £19,900.00
1985 Laura Davies £21,736.00
1986 Patricia Gonzalez £7,570.00
1987 Trish Johnson £35,718.00
1988 Laurette Maritz £29,362.00
1989 Helen Alfredsson £20,355.00
1990 Pearl Sinn £28,407.00
1991 Helen Wadsworth £17,765.00
1992 Sandrine Mendiburu £26,896.00
1993 Annika Sorenstam £55,927.00
1994 Tracy Hanson £44,205.00
1995 Karrie Webb £90,556.00
1996 Anne-Marie Knight £31,322.00
1997 Anna Berg £19,333.00
1998 Laura Philo £26,574.00
1999 Elaine Ratcliffe £12,146.00
2000 Giulia Sergas £21,335.00
2001 Suzann Pettersen £129,546.00
2002 Kirsty S Taylor €52,903.90
2003 Rebecca Stevenson €70,065.38
2004 Minea Blomqvist €105,020.61
2005 Elisa Serramia €36,366.59
2006 Nikki Garrett €99,445.05
2007 Louise Stahle €79,678.66
2008 Melissa Reid €136,606.00
2009 Anna Nordqvist €100,966.44
2010 In-Kyung Kim €193,194.69
2011 Caroline Hedwall €278,528.87
2012 Carlota Ciganda €251,289.95
2013 Charley Hull €135,994.36
2014 Amy Boulden €83,982.17
2015 Emily Kristine Pedersen €171,688.41
2016 Aditi Ashok €206,664.97
