During the current hiatus in the LET Access Series (LETAS), some members have the joy of playing at the LET’s Dutch Ladies Open this week.
The Dutch Ladies Open is next up on the calendar on the LET with Hilversumsche Golf Club hosting the tournament for the second consecutive year.
A field of 132 players – including seven LETAS player invites – will be teeing it up in a 54-hole stroke play competition where there will be a cut to the top 60 professionals and ties at the end of the second round.
There is plenty of home interest this week with 11 Dutch players getting ready to compete on home soil.
This includes five LETAS players; Zhen Bontan, Nikki Hofstede, Lauren Holmey, Mayka Hoogeboom and Marit Harryvan.
Nikki Hofstede, who was forced to take a full season out last year due to injury, has come back to the tour with vengeance.
The 22-year-old has so far posted two top 10s, including placing runner up at the Amundi Czech Ladies Challenge.
Speaking about the week: Hofstede said: “I am super excited, it’s such a big honour. There’s nothing that beats playing in front of your home crowd, it’s so special. If my wrist was doing fine, it was definitely a big goal for this season and to have achieved that in being able to play is huge.
“It’s a really good course, I think it’s one of the better ones we have. I love tree-lined courses, so we’re in for a treat here. The greens are quite tricky because they don’t seem very undulated, but they actually are and with the weather that’s coming up, it’s going to dry out quite a bit.
“The LET is the goal for next year so seeing halfway through the season how I’m holding up against the girls and there’s so many girls from LETAS playing, but also from previous years so seeing them again is so nice.”
Hofstede currently sits at number 7 on the LETAS Order of Merit and is hoping she can stay there to earn an LET card for 2025.
Meanwhile, Bontan, had a brilliant start to the LETAS season placing fourth at the Terre Blanche Ladies Open but is yet to back up that result.
Two Swedish stars have also been given invites; the current Number Two golfer on tour, Kajsa Arwefjall and her friend Andrea Lignell.
Lignell has only played three events on LETAS so far this season, but is definitely one to watch after showing her potential at the MoreGolf Mastercard Open where she finished runner-up.
The Ole Miss graduate lost out on the win to Arwefjall who had a low scoring final day.
Lignell said: “I’m feeling good, this is my second LET event of the year. Playing on the LET Access Series, I’m really excited that I got the opportunity to play here this week. I applied for the invite over the winter because I wanted to play on the LET when there wasn’t a LETAS event, so this was perfect.
“I try to not have too many expectations to be honest. I feel like it’s pretty easy to set too high goals sometimes, especially since I don’t get to play in many LET tournaments, I feel like I want to go out there and enjoy myself. I have my dad on the bag for the week, so just trying to have a good time with him.”
Meanwhile friend and fellow Swedish colleague Arwefjall added: “I feel like it was yesterday I made my pro debut, but at the same time it feels like I have played a lot of tournaments since then.
“I’m feeling good. I took a couple of days off and then I got the invite here, so I got to practice. I’m hitting them good.
“It’s always fun to compete against the players here to see what they’re doing better or maybe I’m doing something better. It’s always nice to compare your game. I’m just going to go out there and do my best.
“I’m just hoping to have a good week! Obviously, you want to be in the top and play in the late groups on Sunday. I am hoping for that.”
The Dutch Ladies Open will take place from Friday 19 July until Sunday 21 July at Hilversumsche Golf Club.
We wish all our players the best of luck this week in the Netherlands.
LETAS next returns at the Smorum Ladies Open in Denmark on the 2nd of August.
In the meantime, follow all the action throughout the tournament on the LETAS social media channels – @letaccess on Instagram, X, and Ladies European Tour Access Series on Facebook – #RaiseOurGame #Access2Let #EnjoyTheGame.
