The Austrian secured medallist honours with rounds of 69 and 70 for a five-under total.

It will be a second appearance at the US Women’s Open for Spitz, who made her debut at the championship in 2020 while still an amateur, and her first appearance as a professional.

“I’m super happy,” said Spitz. “If someone told me I was going to do this after nine holes on Friday last week, I would not have believed them. I was very close to going home and I’m glad I stayed.

“I had a long talk with my coach after the round and we figured something out. That’s how golf is, one day you think you can’t hit a single shot anymore and the next you play 36 holes and you’re going to the US Women’s Open. It’s crazy, but I’m really excited.

“It’s my dad’s 60th birthday party soon and I don’t have a present for him, so I was thinking about what to get him. Me and my boyfriend thought about tickets to Pebble Beach before this, and now he can come with me.”

England’s Alice Hewson also got her ticket to the 78th US Women’s Open Championship, which will be held from July 6-9.

The 25-year-old produced rounds of 71 and 70 to finish in second place and it will also be a debut in the Championship for the LET winner.

“I’m really excited,” said Hewson. “I was happy to get the job done, especially straight off the back of finishing the tournament here in Belgium. I’m really happy how I held myself together on the last few holes. I didn’t really see any scoreboards which was helpful in that situation.

“I have never been to Pebble Beach before. It changes my plans a little bit for this season, I’ll adjust a couple of events but I’m more than happy to do that for this opportunity. I think my whole family is coming with me. I’m so excited and really happy that the whole family should be able to be there with me.”

At the end of 36 holes, it was Finland’s Elina Nummenpaa and Belgium’s Manon de Roey who shared third place on two-under-par.

However, with three qualifying spots up for grabs, the duo headed back to the 18th tee for a playoff and it was home favourite De Roey who made a par on the first playoff hole which was enough to seal her place at Pebble Beach.

De Roey, who will be making her US Women’s Open debut, explained: “I feel unbelievable! I could not even have imagined this at the start of today. To do it in Belgium as well, I’m stoked and so excited.

“Today was very stressful, the first 18 I didn’t play so well but the second 18 I was up and down with eagles and double bogeys and then I found out I had to play another hole.

“I wasn’t that nervous on the tee in the playoff and I hit a good tee shot and then I wasn’t that nervous on the approach to the green, but the two putts I was quite nervous because I knew it was going to be really close.”

The post Spitz, Hewson and De Roey qualify for 2023 US Women’s Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It is a homecoming of sorts for Manon de Roey as she tees it up this week at the Ladies European Tour’s Belgian Open at Naxhelet Golf Club.

The 31-year-old has been travelling a lot of late, mainly in the US as she tries to balance life on the LPGA and the LET.

De Roey won her first LET title lat year at the Aramco Team Series – Bangkok and began 2023 with three top-10 finishes. However, results have fallen away during her recent run of events on the LPGA.

She was exempt into LPGA Q-Series last December and  secured her status after ending the  tournament in a tie for 21st place.

Now she is planning to use some home comforts to get back up the leaderboard in Belgium with friends and family watching.

“I’m super excited to be at home again,” said De Roey. “I have been outside the country for a while, so it’s good to come home and see some people watch me.

“It’s always nice to have people come out and support me. It’s sunny! I’m very excited for this because last year it wasn’t this sunny, so I’m looking forward to this week.

“I learned a lot from playing last year. The course was in really good condition, and I know they’ve worked very hard this year to get it in even better shape than last year.

“I started very strong, my first few tournaments on the LET this year were all top 10s. I’m trying to get back into that form. I went to the United States on the LPGA in between and it wasn’t that good of a run for me, but it was a new experience.

“I learnt so much there and I’m going to take what I learned there into this week and hope for a good week. Last week in Florida, it was so great to see everyone in the players’ lounge and give hugs.”

The post Home hope Manon de Roey looks to get back to form at Belgian Ladies Open after struggles on LPGA appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Last year in Bangkok, it was De Roey who triumphed individually winning by three strokes while Hillier captained her Team to victory.

And the duo are back and hoping that they can replicate their success in Singapore at Laguna National Golf Resort Club.

The Belgian star comes into the tournament in good form having begun her LET season with three top-10 finishes including T3 at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International.

“I was just at home for the past few weeks, the weather was not so great,” said De Roey, who is seventh in the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol.

“It snowed and it was minus three degrees. I saw my coaches a couple of times and I had some stuff that I needed to work on, so I did that. I feel like I’m back stronger and I’m excited for this week.

“I feel like it’s always hard when you get here to adjust to the conditions but once I start playing the course, I don’t feel the heat that much anymore. It’s not too bad.”

The Aramco Team Series event in Singapore will see 78 professionals compete in a 54-hole strokeplay individual competition and 36 teams will compete in a 36-hole tournament.

De Roey is also a captain this week and picked Scotland’s Kylie Henry to play alongside her with the third professional in the team being Sweden’s Emma Nilsson and the LET winner is hoping to have another good week.

“It’s a new course for everyone this week,” she said. “The first few rounds you’re always figuring your way around. Today I played in the Pro-Am, I have a really good feeling about the course and I feel like I have a good game plan for the next few days.

“I was the eighth to last to pick, but Kylie was on the top of my list. She’s a really nice person and is a great player. We have Emma Nilsson as well as the third player, I think we’re going to have a lot of fun which is the most important thing and if you have fun you’re going to play good.”

Similarly, Australia’s Hillier is also excited to be back playing in Asia and teeing it up in the first of five Aramco Team Series events for 2023.

In the draft on Tuesday evening, the Aussie chose Czech Jana Melichova while the duo will also be joined by Wales’ Lydia Hall.

And Hillier believes she has a strong team for the week ahead on a course that can prove to be tricky in places.

“I feel good,” said Hillier. “It’s nice to be back in Asia on the LET and to have another Aramco Team Series event. To be defending captain is very special for me and hopefully, I can lead the team this year.

“I picked Jana, I played with her in Morocco and she played great. She’s a Tour winner, she played great last year and she’s a nice girl so I wanted to pick her and have a great week with her. To have Lydia Hall as our third player, she’s awesome. I have known her for years and years and she’s a great player too. I think we have a pretty strong team.

“The course is sneaky long especially when that wind picks up, you’ve got to really strike the ball quite well here. If you hit a lot of greens, you’ll have a really good chance. The greens are grainy too so that’s an extra challenge. It’s a matter of patience this week.”

The post Defending champs De Roey and Hillier ready to go at Aramco Team Series – Singapore appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Manon De Roey may not have triumphed at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International last week, but she certainly left her mark on the tournament, a magnificent nine-under 63 on the final day equalling the the course record at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club to land the Belgian star the biggest pay day of her career.

The 31-year-old clocked up nine birdies on a blemish-free Sunday to soar to a tie for third place alongside Lexi Thompson and Lilia Vu on 19-under and bettered only by tournament winner Lydia Ko (-21) and India’s Aditi Ashok (-20).

De Roey also pocketed $235,000 for her troubles.

“It definitely is [the biggest pay cheque of my career],” De Roey said. “I didn’t really think about it until now, but yeah, it worked out. I don’t know what I’m going to do with the money, but it’s definitely helped. Maybe I can now pay off my mortgage.”

With Thompson equalling the course record on Saturday with a superb performance of her own, De Roey needed an eagle on the last to better the mark. But despite the near-perfect approach shot, the Belgian’s effort unfortunately came up short as she settled for a tap-in birdie.

“I definitely knew I was on for a course record because I left my eagle putt very short,” De Roey admitted. “I was a bit nervous on that putt.

“I had some shaky hands, so I’m happy I hit the green because that was also very nerve-racking. I only had a 7-iron from 191 metres, so I’ll take that. I took a club less because I thought I had some adrenaline going.”

With the 63 , De Roey becomes the fifth player to shoot that score at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, joining Thompson, Stephanie Kyriacou (2020), Lydia Ko (2021) and Kelly Whaley (2022) as the players to achieve the feat.

“I’m super happy,” she said. “My whole game was solid throughout. I think I only had one bad shot, just one drive, so really solid. I just had to look at the putter and it went in.”

The post Manon de Roey ready to make move after biggest pay day in Saudi Arabia appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Belgium’s Manon De Roey weathered to tough conditions best to card a four-under 68 and open up a two-stroke lead over Nelly Korda and Magdalene Sagstrom.

De Roey is no stranger to success on the ATS, having won in Bangkok earlier this season. Scores are expected to come down over the weekend in better conditions after only four players at Trump Golf Links were able to shoot under par.

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“I’m very pleased with my score today,” said De Roey.

“It was tough out there. We had some rain, strong winds and just tried to keep it together for the team as well – being bogey-free today which is nice. I knew today was going to be tricky but I think for the next few days it’s going to be sunny and 19 degrees, so I’m looking forward to that. It can only get better from today, so I’m looking forward to it.

World No. 4 Nelly Korda, who won on the ATS last time out at Sotogrande, Spain, is a master of windy conditions.

“The weather wasn’t that great so we were all saving each other and thankfully we all had each other’s back,” said Korda of her teammates Noora Homulainen, Celine Herbin and amateur James Rawson. “We played pretty well today. It was pretty windy and then it started kind of raining toward the start of our back nine and it stopped around on the 14th and the wind died”.

Leona Maguire in action at the Aramco Team Series — New York. LET

Team Leona Maguire lead the way in two-day team competition on 11-under-par alongside Liz Young, Tvesa Malik and former NFL star Golden Tate.

Dubai’s Chiara Noja coped well in the tough conditions, with the 16-year-old carding a three-over 75 to stay in touch with the pack in T34.

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The post Manon De Roey weathers the storm in New York to take Aramco Team Series lead appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Matt Smith
While the DP World Tour boys are teeing it up in the Dutch Open at Bernardus Golf, the Ladies European Tour is taking place almost directly due south over the Netherlands border in Belgium from Friday to Sunday.

Following Tiia Koivisto’s triumph over Whitney Hillier at the Jabra Ladies Open in France last week, the carnival heads on to Belgium for the Mithra Ladies Open.

A strong field of 126 players representing 28 nations will be competing at Naxhelet Golf Club, near Liege.

The first event in Belgium since 1995 will be a familiar homecoming of sorts for one of the veterans of the game as Laura Davies — the winner of the first Belgian Open -back in 1985 — will dust off the clubs to compete.

The legend will be in good company alongside fellow English veteran Trish Johnson and a host of recent winners on the LET, including Lee-Anne Pace (SA Women’s Open), Maja Stark (Women’s NSW Open), Meghan MacLaren (Australian Women’s Classic), Linn Grant (Joburg Ladies Open) and Manon De Roey (Aramco Team Series – Bangkok).

De Roey leads the home charge of nine Belgian players and is joined by Charlotte De Corte, Lien Willems, Ellen Smets and Laura Gonzalez Escallon alongside amateurs Sophie Bert, Elise Bishop, Louise Cuyvers and Savannah De Bock.

Race to Costa del Sol leader Stark and Argentina’s Magdalena Simmermacher will also fancy their chances of adding to their trophy haul.

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The post Ladies European Tour: Laura Davies dusts off clubs for Mithra Belgian Ladies Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It was something out of a slapstick ‘Carry On’ flick, and after seeing it, we’re not sure which was funnier on Saturday: the hilarious way Ladies European Tour star Chloe Williams flipped backward over a sign, or her reaction upon seeing replays of it. Call it a dead heat, because Chloe was a great sport about it.

The setup: Wales star Williams was lining up her tee shot on the par-3 sixth in the LET’s Aramco Team Series — Bangkok, and in the background were on-course billboards advertising the Saudi Arabian destination of Diriyah. The red sand and colours are right behind her and there was a small piece of wooden ‘rock’ behind the tee that gave the ads a 3D quality. As Williams backed up to visualise her shot, the facade clipped her at the knees, and she tumbled backwards, her legs flying up in the air.

Final day fail for @ChloeWills95 ??#RaiseOurGame | #BringTheEnergy pic.twitter.com/NnADMIi2lU

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) May 14, 2022

The LET players are so accessible that an on-course reporter caught up to Williams later in the round — while she was still competing — to share the video with her. Williams got quite the kick out of it.

“I’m sorry, I’ve only just seen this,” Williams said as she watched the video on the reporter’s phone “Honestly, it’s just brilliant. I’m just glad I could contribute some fun for the group.”

The hardest part, Williams confessed, was that she still had the shot to hit while her partners were in hysterics. She smoothed a nice iron on to the green and made par. “I said to the girls, that was one of my best pars in history,” Williams said, still laughing.

In the 54-hole tournament, Williams closed with a 76 and tied for 52nd. The winner was Belgium’s Manon De Roey, who shot 66 to overtake overnight leader Patty Tavatanakit.

The post Watch: ‘One of the best pars in history’ — LET pro Chloe Williams takes a tumble at Aramco Team Series, and her reaction is worth a prize appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Matt Smith
Manon De Roey was the solo star in the inaugural Ladies European Tour Aramco Team Series — Bangkok, holding off Thailand’s home hope Patty Tavatanakit for her first ever career title.

A bogey-free six-under-par closing round at Thai Country Club was enough to overhaul world No. 13 Tavatanakit, who led by two after the second round. But the 2021 ANA Inspiration champion struggled to a final day one-over 73, and playing partner De Roey flourished, finding six birdies as she romped to a three-shot victory and her maiden Tour title.

“It feels great,” said De Roey – the first Belgian to win an LET title in 25 years. “I was waiting for this for a long time so I’m very happy.

“It was actually a really good day. I started quite strongly. I was hitting it quite close, made birdie on the second. I just stayed patient and I dropped in some good putts.

“I’ve been working hard on my game, just trying to stay patient for the win. I was really hoping for this last year, so I’m really happy I got it now this year.”

The 30-year-old added: “I have a pretty good record in the Aramco Team Series events – I’ve picked good teams. But I love it. The first few days I really played for the team. They really pushed to make a lot of birdies. Yeah, super happy. I mean, it’s been a long time for me. I fought really hard and I’m happy I came through.”

Played over three days, this was the first $1 million Aramco Team Series tournament to run under 2022’s new format, in which its $500,000 prize-fund team element – where three LET professionals team up with an amateur golfer – is battled out over only 36 holes.

That title was claimed a day earlier by Team Hillier: Australian Whitney Hillier, Krista Bakker of Finland, Thailand’s Chonlada Chayanun, and Bangkok businessman Pattanan Amatanon.

Now up to five events per season, the Aramco Team Series next heads to the UK for the Aramco Team Series – London, which will take place at Centurion Club in St Albans, June 16-18.

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By Kent Gray
When Golf Saudi imagined the Aramco Team Series into existence, a key tenet of the Pro-Am concept was that the amateur attached to each of the four-person teams would get a taste of professional golf inside the ropes. Furthermore, the lucky weekend warrior would have every opportunity to contribute to the ultimate success of their three new favourite LET pros, perhaps even by sinking the winning putt.

We’re still waiting for the latter probability but for irrefutable proof of concept, kindly refer to the penultimate round of the Aramco Team Series – Jeddah on Thursday.

Belgium’s Manon De Roey captained her team to a two-stroke buffer heading into the final round of the 54-hole, $1 million event at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City. Pro team-mates Carmen Alonso (Spain) and Elina Nummenpaa (Finland) combined 13 birdies and one eagle en-route to a second-round 20-under-par total.

However, it was their 61-year-old amateur team-mate Nic Davies who stole the show. The general manager of a nearby Saudi Golf Club contributed a pair of net-eagles that proved the difference in propelling the fourball to 37-under-par overall.

The comments from the Spain-born Davies after his memorable afternoon were further vindication of the concept which is all about innovating to help increase exposure of the LET and wider women’s game.

“I’ve always followed women’s golf, so as an amateur this is just phenomenal to be part of,” said Davies who nailed the second of his net eagles on Royal Green’s 18th hole with a birdie four.

“I obviously now know Manon, Carmen and Elina quite well so if we were able to see this through, I’d be absolutely over the moon for them.

“They, to me, epitomise ladies golf. I’ve got a seven-year-old daughter who is just amazed seeing these girls whack the ball so well and so far. If I connect with the ball, I can get up there, but I’ve not nearly out-driven any of my team. It’s amazing to see up close and hopefully we continue doing well tomorrow.”

Amateur Nic Davies played a key role for Team De Roey on Thursday.

With a share of $150,000 for the winning pros, De Roey, Alonso and Nummenpaa will hope to keep the momentum going on Friday as well.

“I’m really happy with my team,” said De Roey.

“They fought really hard today. We didn’t do so well in the first nine, but we came back strong and I’m very proud of them and how we played. We love playing on this course, it’s very scoreable out there. We’ll fight tomorrow as we have a great opportunity.”

Team Kyriacou – captained by Australia’s Steph Kyriacou, with Lina Boqvist (SWE), Laura Beverage (SCO) and amateur Andreas ‘Andy’ Feller, from Switzerland – shot a series low 22-under-par in the second round to move to -35 overall.

Team Steph Kyriacou.

“Up until the last hole neither of us scored on the same holes, which is what you need in this format,” said Kyriacou. “Lina came in real clutch at the end, Laura in the middle, and Andy our amateur played well. It was Andy and I on the front then Lina and Laura on the back nine.”

Like Team De Roey, Team Kyriacou also had their amateur golfer to thank, with Feller’s eagle three on 13 giving the fourball the first net-albatross at any ATS event.

Talking through the hole, 10-handicapper Feller said: “I went driver, then hit a five-wood to eight-foot. We got a good read on the putt, the team gave me good comfort, and I holed the putt.

“That was my best ever nine holes. I’m a bit of a wildcard but it worked out for me today. Let’s do the same again tomorrow.”

In the individual format, Germany’s Olivia Cowan, meanwhile, leads the individual standings by one over Argentina’s Magdalena Simmermacher, and two clear of English pair Bronte Law and Georgia Hall.

“I’m really happy with how I’m playing at the moment,” said Cowan, who holed-out for eagle from the fairway of Royal Greens’ par-4 7th. “It’s quite steady and I’m giving myself a lot of chances to hole putts, which I think is important out here.

Germany’s Olivia Cowan is one ahead in the ATS-Jeddah’s individual standings.

“I think the relaxed team format of this event helps bring out the best in me. We as a team get on really well and are all quite chatty out there, which I like.”

The Aramco Team Series – Jeddah is the last of four new $1million team tournaments added to the Ladies European Tour this season and follows events in London, Sotogrande and New York. It climaxes on Friday.

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