Beth Allen is set to become the first player from the United States to win the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit in the organisation’s 38-year history.
With earnings of 311,391.77 euros from 15 tournaments heading into this week’s season-ending Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, the 34-year-old Californian cannot be caught.
The first prize cheque is worth 75,000 euros and Shanshan Feng is 59,117 euros behind, but the Chinese Olympic bronze medallist and defending champion is ineligible to win the Order of Merit as she has not played in the minimum requirement of six LET tournaments in 2016.
Leading rookie professional Aditi Ashok is now 130,978 euros behind Allen. Both players have won two titles this season and will be looking for a hat-trick in Dubai.
“The Omega Dubai Ladies Masters is a special tournament because it always signifies the end of the year and that’s always what I envisioned, if this ever happened to me, then it would be in Dubai. It’s one of our biggest and most prestigious events and to win here would be fantastic,” said Allen, who won the Lacoste Ladies Open de France and the inaugural Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open in Abu Dhabi this season, her second and third LET titles.
“I think the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club is one of everybody’s favourites and the best golfer wins, which is always what we want. There are lots of birdies out there but it’s also pretty tough, so it’s fair. Everyone looks forward to it and so do I, so I’m looking forward to finishing my season in Dubai.”
In 2016, the Ladies European Tour members have competed for an all-time record of more than 14 million euros in total and the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters is one of 12 tournaments on the schedule with a prize fund of approximately 500,000 euros or more.
Ladies European Tour CEO Ivan Khodabakhsh commented: “We congratulate Beth, an exceptionally talented golfer who is a global ambassador for women’s golf, on her phenomenal achievements this year. She remains a popular figure with fans and fellow LET Members alike and receives a warm reception at the tournaments in which she plays all over the world. We wish her the very best for our Tour’s end-of-season finale in Dubai.”
