The countdown to the Investec South African Women’s Open and the start of the LET season is on. With four spots at the US Women’s Open up for grabs and less than 48 hours until the first ball is struck, here are three things to look out for in the 2021 season curtain-raiser.
Home favourites gearing up for start of LET season
A whole host of South African names will be teeing it up at Westlake Golf Club including 2010 LET Order of Merit winner Lee-Anne Pace. The nine-time LET tournament winner – who finished 51st on last season’s Race to Costa del Sol – has recorded five top-ten finishes on this year’s Sunshine Ladies Tour and hopes to repeat the success of her 2014 South African Women’s Open triumph.
At the Jabra Ladies Classic back in April, Nicole Garcia finished T2 and has had a further top-ten finish on the Sunshine Ladies Tour. Monique Smit has three top-ten finishes to her name this year, while Lejan Lewthwaite claimed third place at the Cape Town Ladies Open at the start of last month.
Another home hope is Casandra Hall, who has been in excellent form so far in 2021. A ninth-place finish at the Cape Town Ladies Open was followed up by T14 and T7 at the next tournaments. The 20-year-old then clinched victory at the Joburg Ladies Open and secured a T2 finish at last week’s Dimension Data Ladies Challenge.
Recent winners buoyant heading to Westlake
South African Hall hasn’t been the only LET member to find success on the Sunshine Ladies Tour in recent weeks. France’s Manon Gidali secured her first professional win at the opening event of the 2021 Sunshine Ladies Tour season. The 27-year-old holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole of the Cape Town Ladies Open to triumph over Cara Gorlei. Last season the French golfer, who finished 33rd on the Race to Costa del Sol, tied for fourth at the Investec SA Women’s Open and will be hoping to carry her good form with her.
Norway’s Marianne Skarpnord has also had a successful time while in South Africa, claiming T7 and T16 results before winning the Dimension Data Ladies Challenge. The 35-year-old clinched her 10th professional title after winning a four-way play-off. One of Skarpnord’s four victories on the LET came at the 2013 South African Women’s Open and she will be hoping to continue the momentum built so far in South Africa.
Solheim Cup stalwart tees it up in South Africa
Another star teeing it up at Westlake Golf Club will be Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall, who has been an integral member of the European Solheim Cup Team in recent years. She has made appearances at the 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2019 – winning on three occasions – and claimed 8.5 points during that time.
Last season, Hedwall made six appearances on the LET and recorded two top-5 finishes which were T3 at the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic and third at The Saudi Ladies International, and finished 17th on the Race to Costa del Sol. The 31-year-old also produced one of the shots of the season when she sunk a hole-in-one in Dubai. With the Solheim Cup just a few months away, Hedwall will be looking to start the LET season brightly in South Africa.
