Manon De Roey received the warmest of welcomes at Wollongong Golf Club this week as she arrived at the scenic venue fresh off cementing herself as a three-time Ladies European Tour (LET) winner.
The Belgian had a week to remember in Coffs Harbour as she carded rounds of 69 (-1), 63 (-7) and 69 (-1) to pip Cara Gainer by one shot and win the Australian Women’s Classic.
Teeing up at the Wollongong Golf Club this week for the Ford Women’s NSW Open, De Roey has had time to reflect on a whirlwind past few days.
“It’s been amazing,” De Roey said, who was congratulated on the first tee yesterday by the likes of Alessandra Fanali and Trichat Cheenglab. “I didn’t expect everything on Sunday [to happen how it did] because I didn’t know where I was standing. But I’m super happy with my third win on the LET. It’s nice to have so many people congratulating you.
The Olympian produced a clutch finish at Coffs Harbour Golf Club on Sunday as she birdied the par-18th under pressure thanks to a wonderful wedge shot in. It was her third victory on the LET after she won the 2024 Investec SA Women’s Open and 2022 Aramco Team Series – Bangkok crown.
Reflecting on the week, De Roey said: “I feel like I’ve been in Australia for a long time already. The first week getting cancelled was sad, then the days in-between were weird, I didn’t know what to do and felt a bit down. I practiced on courses I wasn’t playing so that was also a bit odd.
“Then getting to Coffs Harbour, where it wasn’t so good at the beginning of the week, the greenskeepers did an amazing job. They worked so hard. Once the tournament started it was amazing. I loved it out there.
“I went out for dinner with my host. [to celebrate]. Liz [Young] and Sarah [Schober] were staying with me as well. We had some dinner and then I actually went for drink – I don’t drink normally! They kind of forced me into it and I had a mojito. So that was fun. That was about as crazy as it got.”
With the LPGA in sight next month – the Belgian earned top-20 status at Q-Series in December – De Roey is now beaming with confidence heading into the remainder of 2025.
She continued: “It was a bit of a rough start at the beginning of the year. This win helps a lot with my confidence and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season. I feel good. I’m holing a lot of putts which always helps. You need to do that when you want to win!”
As for this week, De Roey has a different challenge as she tees up at the links Wollongong Golf Club on the coast of New South Wales
“The course this week is totally different from Coffs Harbour,” she explained. “But I’m looking forward to the challenge. I sent some videos to my coach yesterday, so my swing is looking good.
“It’s wide open and I think it’s going to be very windy here. But I always feel like the wind is my friend. So I’m looking forward to that. The course is in great shape and it’s so much fun to have Maria [Beautell] on the bag. I’ve known her for a long time and we’re always on the same page.”
De Roey gets underway at the Ford Women’s NSW Open on Thursday at 13:47pm local time playing alongside Aussie duo Kirsten Rudgeley and Sarah Kemp.
Follow all the action across theour socials – @LETgolf on Instagram and X and Ladies European Tour on Facebook and YouTube. #NSWOpenGolf
