Ursula Wikstrom is playing in her 296th official tournament at the Åland 100 Ladies Open by Alandsbanken and she is still chasing her first win on the LET.
The Finn always produces a vintage performance on home soil. Three of her eight second-place finishes have been in this tournament: firstly in 2005, then in 2008 and finally, last year, behind fellow Finn Matilda Castren.
She says: “I love to play in Finland and in front of the home crowds; it always gives you this extra something. There is no pressure, it’s just inspirational. I still enjoy the game and feel like I can compete and I will continue as long as I feel like this.
“My favourite moment was when I went head-to-head with Minea Blomqvist at Helsinki Golf Club, known as “Tali”, in 2008. We’d been playing against each other since we were juniors so that moment in front of the home crowd was really special.”
Her husband, Mika, is at the tournament working for the Finnish Golf Union and she would love to have their 15-year-old son, Erni, who was born in 2007, as her caddie, but he is too busy with school and football practice these days.
Now in her 19th season on tour, Wikstrom is ranked fifth in terms of all-time tournament appearances behind multiple LET champions Laurette Maritz, Karen Lunn, Trish Johnson and Dame Laura Davies. At the age of 42, Wikstrom still has the desire to join that illustrious winner’s list.
Trish Johnson holds the record as the oldest winner on the LET, having won the 2014 Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open aged 48 years, 7 months and 15 days and Laura Davies won the 2010 Hero Honda Women’s Indian Open aged 47 years and 39 days, so don’t rule out Wikstrom just yet. “I wish I could know why it’s taking this long, but I still believe I can win… I wouldn’t be here otherwise. Richard Bland won at 46, so anything is possible,” she said.
