Mireia Prat
Everything is prepared for the CostaBlanca Ladies Open, the penultimate event on the 2103 LETAS schedule, which will take place at the Font del Llop Golf Resort, near Alicante, next week.
The Spanish weather is almost guaranteed, with a typical Spanish forecast, with some sunny days and temperatures between 19 to 21 degrees Celsius and 0% chance of rain.
The Font del Llop Golf Resort and weather will be at their best for the 78 players that will take part in the CostaBlanca Ladies Open. Over 20 different nationalities will be present, with the majority from Spain, the United Kingdom and Sweden, and some players travelling from Australia and from emerging golfing countries, such as Poland and Russia.
After a fantastic season, Spain’s Mireia Prat and most recent champion Patricia Sanz Barrio, the current number one and two on the LETAS Order of Merit, respectively, have both won this season and will no doubt enjoy playing at home, both players having already secured their cards for the 2014 LET season and accomplished some of their goals for this year.
“I am thrilled that there is a second LETAS tournament in Spain and I’m preparing it the same way as I normally do with the other tournaments I’ve played previously this year. It’s just a new week for me, I do not know the golf course. My goal is to give as much of my game in the tournament, and if I win, it will be fantastic!“: Prat said when asked about her preparation for this event.
The young Spaniard had a clear goal when she started this season on LETAS, to become the number one player in order to secure her spot on the Ladies European Tour. “I will also play in Turkey. I played all the tournaments so I cannot miss the last one. I have a goal for the end of the year and would like to achieve it.”
Madrid’s Patricia Sanz Barrio, who is just over 4,000 points behind Prat on the Order of Merit, has the same goal as Prat and could be the one to ruin her fellow countrywoman’s dream, “Patricia has shown this year that she has a very good standard and what I most admire from her is how her game has improved in the last two years.”, Prat said.
Sanz Barrio is looking forward to the challenge, “I do not know the golf course, but I am looking forward to playing it. This is another tournament for me and same importance as the others. I consider it as another opportunity for me to improve. My goal is, as always, to perform the best I can.”
Sanz Barrio, when asked about her most direct rival, she commented, “What I admire most from Mireia is her strength, consistency and short game.”
Prat and Sanz Barrio may have already secured their cards for next season on the Ladies European Tour but the battle for the remaining three spots is still very much alive. Two-time winner Nichole Broch-Larsen from Denmark, Netherland’s Chrisje de Vries and Switzerland’s Fabienne in Albon, currently occupy these three places and will have to finish the season strongly to maintain their current status. Scotland’s Pamela Feggans, Chloe Leurquin and Heather MacRae are all in close pursuit, with just 1,000 points separating 4th to 8th position on the Order of Merit.
The CostaBlanca Ladies Open starts next Monday on the 18th November at Font del Llop Golf Resort near Alicante.