Julie Maisongrosse from France is hoping that a return to Dinard Golf in Brittany this week will inspire her to capture a second consecutive Dinard Ladies Open title as the LET Access Series event gets under way in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer.
Only seven months ago the young Frenchwoman from Perpignan fired a magnificent final round of 65 in perfect conditions to seal a two stroke victory over Marjet van der Graaff from the Netherlands.
Maisongrosse carded rounds of 67, 65 and 65 for an impressive 54-hole total of 13 under par, claiming her maiden professional victory five months after finishing as the runner-up at the La Nivelle Ladies Open, also in France.
With the 2010 event champion Jade Schaeffer amongst the field of entries, as well as Marieke Nivard and Caroline Afonso, the winners of the 2011 and 2010 LETAS order of merit respectively, there will be stiff competition at Dinard.
France’s own Marion Ricordeau, who recently won the Terre Blanche Ladies Open, is also teeing up along with England’s Henrietta Zuel, who won twice on the Access Series last year and was second behind Nivard on the order of merit.
LET members Julie Tvede of Denmark and Italian Anna Rossi will be amongst the favourites after they tied for third in the event last year with Australian Stacey Keating.
Other well-known players include Frenchwoman Julie Greciet, Italian Sophie Sandolo and Carly Booth of Scotland, who will be joined by a number of promising LET rookies, notably Finland’s Sovhi Harkonen who finished sixth in the 2011 event.
Another rookie to watch is England’s Eleanor Givens, who gave an impressive display on her recent LET debut at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco where she tied for 22nd place. Her compatriot Anna Scott will be making a fresh start after having to pull out of that event due to illness, while Stephanie Kirchmayr, Jessica Yadloczky, Sara Djos, Mary Mattson, Lene Krog, Erika Holmen Iliska Verwey, Gemma Webster, Henriette Frylinck, Sara Wikstrom, Tinna Johannsdottir and Lucy Williams are all in their rookie season as a professional on tour. There are also 13 amateurs including Scotland’s Pamela Pretswell and Lauren Taylor from England, the 2010 and 2011 British Ladies’ Open amateur champions.
In total, there are 92 players from 20 different nations teeing up at Dinard Golf. Entry for the public is free during the tournament and this is an incredible opportunity to watch some of the greatest up-and-coming lady golfers on a magnificent golf course.
About the LET Access Series:
The LET Access Series (LETAS) launched in 2010 as the official feeder tour to the Ladies European Tour. The objective of LETAS is to provide greater playing opportunities for female professional golfers. All female professional golfers and amateurs with a handicap of 3 or better are eligible for membership of LETAS, providing they are over 18 years of age. The top three players on the 2012 LETAS Ranking will earn membership of the Ladies European Tour for the 2013 season, while players in fourth to 15th positions will have the opportunity to progress to the final stage of LET Qualifying School, thereby skipping the first qualifying event. If the top three players are already exempt for the Ladies European Tour then the cards will be available to the next best players inside the top 10 on the 2012 LETAS Ranking. If a player in fourth to 15th position is already exempt to Final Qualifying School for the 2013 Ladies European Tour season, then the next non-exempt player down to 30th position on the 2012 LETAS Ranking will be offered a place at LET Final Qualifying School. See more information on the official website, www.letaccess.com.
