Laura Fünfstück is looking forward to one more week on the road before a few weeks off as she gets ready to play in the PIF London Championship.
The German competed in last week’s final Major of the year – the AIG Women’s Open – after securing her spot at the Final Qualifier.
Opening rounds of 69-71 at Royal Porthcawl meant the 30-year-old was in a share of third place at the 36-hole mark.
Despite not having the weekend she imagined, Fünfstück was still pleased overall with how she handled the week in Wales.
“I went through the same thing with Final Qualifying last year, but I missed out in the playoff and ended up being raging that I was second reserve,” said the German. “I knew I had played the course before in my last competition as an amateur and I remember finishing maybe second in the stroke play, I feel like I had quite good memories there.
“I felt decent heading into the qualifier and had two-under in my head as the number and finished with a bogey which was annoying as I ended on one-under. Waiting around was nerve-wracking and then I was confirmed in the evening, then there’s a fine line between making sure you’re prepped enough but also somewhat rested for Thursday. I thought I handled that better this year.
“I was playing really late on Friday, I needed a bit of energy and I didn’t have the best weather as it got quite cold at the end. I was buzzing with the first two days; it went a lot better than I expected. I just really wanted to play the weekend. I was really nervous on Friday and a bit more relaxed on Saturday. Overall, on the Sunday before I would have taken that result, now I feel disappointed with it, but I just have to work my selective memory.”
Having made changes in her game, after being out for 12 months from August 2021 to 2022, Fünfstück was looking for a sign that things were trending in the right direction.
The 30-year-old believes those first two rounds in Wales were a glimpse of what she can do and gave her the belief, even if she ran out of energy over the weekend.
She continued: “I felt more at ease than I thought I would, I think I was more nervous on Thursday and Friday because I hadn’t played a major in a few years. That’s where I want to be.
“I have worked really hard the last two years towards making certain changes and I have worked with some different people and some are the same. I was looking for a sign that some of the changes you are making are going in the right direction – Thursday and Friday was probably that sign I could compete with the best in the world.
“Saturday and Sunday, I’ve had good conversations with my coach about what was breaking down in the game and why, how can I fix that etc. I was pleased with how I handled myself; I gave it my all and maybe slightly ran out of energy at the end. Overall, I’m really happy with it.”
Fünfstück, who lives in London, counts the PIF London Championship as one of her ‘home’ events on the Ladies European Tour (LET) calendar.
The tournament will see two competitions taking place alongside one another with a 36-hole Team competition alongside a 54-hole Individual stroke play, with a cut to the top 60 professionals and ties after 36 holes.
Centurion Club has good memories for Fünfstück who finished T12 in 2021 and seventh place in the 2024 edition.
The German was selected by 2024 winning captain Nastasia Nadaud to be part of her team and she is excited for the week ahead.
She added: “The Swiss Open, German Masters and this event all feel like semi-home events. I’m excited to be back here. I do feel like I’ve done well here twice before.
“It’s a course that suits me and you have to play well around here and place it well on the greens. I just hope that my energy levels carry me through one more week. I’m excited to get going. It’s completely different than last week. It’s a good field, so there will be good competition.
“I was thinking about Nastasia [Nadaud] in the playoff last year and that was really fun to watch. She has been playing unreal this year; she’s a really good player. I’m excited and that’s great news to be on her team.”
Team Nadaud will tee it up at 10.09 am (local time) in the first round at Centurion Club on Friday 8 August.
Follow all the action throughout on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram, TikTok and X, and Ladies European Tour on YouTube and Facebook – #PIFLondonChampionship.
