The 2015 Deloitte Ladies Open was officially launched with the players enjoying a canal trip through Amsterdam on Tuesday.
Guests on board included partners and sponsors of the Deloitte Ladies Open, the Dutch Golf Federation, promotor TIG, Dutch competitors Anne Van Dame, Dewi Claire Schreefel, Christel Boeljon and Zhen Bontan, as well as around 25 international players from around the world.
The guests took a one hour boat ride along the canals before stopping for the kick-off party at the prestigious Amstel Hotel located on the Amstel canal.
Here the players enjoyed a welcome drinks reception and took part in a par-3 challenge, playing a 70 metre shot from a barge to a floating three-metre wide green. The balls were biodegradable and therefore had 10% less flight than normal.
Amateur Zhen Bontan, 17, from the Netherlands, won the competition and a night’s stay for two people in the famous Amstel Hotel.
She said: “It’s really nice to be here for the kick off. This is my first time here and I’m really excited to play in the tournament.”
Local rookie professional Anne Van Dam was also looking forward to the event, which kicks off on Friday at The International Amsterdam, just minutes from Schipol Airport. She said: “I really like the course. It suits me well. It’s quite long. I practice on these greens all the time so it’s like being at home.”
Among the international competitors who enjoyed the canal trip was the defending champion, Kylie Walker from Scotland, as it brought back memories of her maiden Ladies European Tour victory celebration.
“After the final round last year we did a boat party because I had missed my flight so we had good fun that night celebrating the win,” said Walker, who won a three-way play-off against Denmark’s Malene Jorgensen and Australian Nikki Campbell last year at The International.
Watch the kick-off event (in Dutch) on YouTube.
