With just two tournaments left this season on the Ladies European Tour (LET), the circuit travels to the Balearic Islands this week for the inaugural Mallorca Ladies Golf Open.
Staged at the stunning Golf Son Muntaner in the island’s capital, Palma, 72 players from 22 nations will tee up in the penultimate event of 2023 vying for their share of €400,000.
Before play gets under way in sunny Mallorca, here are five talking points to look out for…
Race enters dramatic conclusion
Things could not be tighter at the top of the Race to Costa del Sol with two events remaining, and Celine Boutier’s dominant run as number one could be over come Saturday with just 173.81 points now separating the top four.
The French Major winner is absent in Mallorca, meaning another solid display from one of her race rivals – India’s Diksha Dagar, Thailand’s Trichat Cheenglab, and Sweden’s Johanna Gustvasson – would see a new leader hailed before the season finale at the Andalucía Costa Del Sol Open De Espana.
Dagar is best placed to achieve the feat this week, with the two-time LET winner only 72.27 points behind Boutier. Fresh off a runner-up finish at last month’s Hero Women’s Indian Open, Dagar can overtake Boutier if she places 10th or better in Mallorca.
Also hot in form and chasing top spot is Cheenglab. Leading the Rookie of the Year race – a title she can clinch this week should Sweden’s Sara Kjellker fail to win – Cheenglab would need to finish in a tie for fourth or better, just as she did at Aramco Team Series – Riyadh, and hope Dagar finishes 11th or worse to take top spot.
Gustavsson, winner of the Lacoste Ladies Open de France, can also leapfrog Boutier should she finish tied fourth or better in Mallorca.
The stage is certainly set for a dramatic conclusion of the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol, and this week’s event could prove crucial in determining who takes Linn Grant’s crown.
Battle on the bubble
As we scan down the Race to Costa del Sol, the Mallorca Ladies Golf Open is also a pivotal event for several stars vying to cement their 2024 LET card.
With the top 70 in the rankings earning Category 4 status for next season, and with the closed Andalucía Costa Del Sol Open De Espana involving the top 64 players (as well as eight invites), a host of players are striving for big performances in Mallorca if they are to secure full playing rights for next season.
Those on the bubble and competing at Golf Son Muntaner include Hayley Davis (68th), Sofie Bringner (69th), Leonie Harm (70th), Laura Beveridge (71st), Sanna Nuutinen (74th), Maggie Simmermacher (75th), Elin Arvidsson (76th), Anne-Lise Caudal (77th), Linnea Johansson (78th), Renate Grimstad (80th), Yuri Onishi (81st), and Marta Sanz Barrio (82nd).
Mallorca’s magician
She is one of the biggest characters on the LET, and this week the spotlight will be on Nuria Iturrioz for more than just her bold outfits and stellar short game.
Born and bred in Mallorca, Iturrioz tees up as the home favourite this week and is looking to make it two wins from two in Spain in 2023 after clinching the La Sella Open back in July.
A four-time winner on Tour, Iturrioz is currently 12th in the Race to Costa del Sol and has featured heavily in the promotion of the tournament alongside fellow Mallorcan Luna Sobron Galmes – an invitee this week.
A brand new event
History is being made this week as the LET heads to Mallorca for the first time ever.
Five minutes from the Balearic capital of Palma, and nestled at the foothills of Son Vida, Golf Son Muntaner possesses plenty of pedigree having hosted the Mallorca Golf Open on the DP World Tour in both 2021 and 2022.
A new tournament also means a new trophy, the winner of this year’s Mallorca Ladies Golf Open receiving a wooden replica of ‘Na Capitana’ – Mallorca’s oldest olive tree said to be 1000 years old which this stands on the 6th fairway (the front and back nines have switched this this week).
Awesome Avani
Alongside the 64 qualifiers from the Race to Costa del Sol teeing up this week, eight invitees will also be looking to make a mark with India’s Avani Prashanth standing out as the one to watch.
Having made history earlier this year when she became the first Indian winner on the LET Access Series (LETAS), the 16-year-old amateur has since continued her excellent form finishing T5 at the Hero Women’s Indian Open before progressing to the final stage of LET Q-School last week.
The 2023 Mallorca Ladies Golf Open gets under way on Thursday 16 November. Follow all the action @LETgolf on Instagram and X and Ladies European Tour on Facebook and YouTube – #RaiseOurGame #MallorcaLadiesGolfOpen
