Ladies European Tour winner Valentine Derrey will make a rare appearance on the Ladies European Tour Access Series this week as she defends her Open Generali de Dinard title on home turf.
The 27-year-old Frenchwoman, who won the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open on the LET 11 months ago, will be the star attraction in the season-opening LETAS event at Golf de Dinard in Brittany.
“I am very excited to go play over there and defend my title,” said Derrey. “It is a really nice course and we are very welcomed there. I am playing Dinard because we had several weeks off on the LET and because I think it is important to defend my title.”
The event is also part of the French Generali Ladies Tour and she added: “The tour aims to grow women’s golf, so I think it is important to support them.”
Derrey fired rounds of 66, 69 and 66 to finish at 6 under par and earn a two stroke victory over Isabella Ramsay at Dinard last year and she continued: “I have great memories from winning last year as I like the course and the atmosphere.”
Derrey is currently 7th on the LET’s European points list for Solheim Cup qualification and she has the chance to qualify for the team in Germany this September.
“My game is improving from the beginning of the year. I am right now with both of my coaches to work on it; I am quite happy with the work accomplished,” she said. “Of course my goal is to win again this year, but I will focus on my own game first and see what happens then.
“Being part of the Solheim Cup team would be an honour. Playing for the European team is a dream come true but first let’s focus on my game.”
The field of 120 players from more than 20 different countries will vie for the first title of the season and prize money of €30,000, including 15 French professionals and a further 14 French amateurs.
Other notable players in the field include last year’s LETAS 2014 Order of Merit winner Emma Westin, and fellow graduate Isabella Ramsay who will be looking to go one better after finishing in second place at last year’s Open Generali de Dinard.
At the end of the LETAS season, the top five players on the 2015 Order of Merit will qualify for the 2016 LET season while the top 15 will qualify for the final stage of Lalla Aicha Tour School.
