LET battle commence -– daunting challenge ahead
Local contenders will try to keep the Ladies European Thailand Championship at home while foreign challengers will attempt to end the Thai domination when the 300,000-euro event tees off at the Phoenix Gold Golf & Country Club Pattaya, Chon Buri, on Thursday.
Over the past two editions teen prodigy Atthaya Thitikul and unfancied Kanyalak Preedasuttijit made the country proud by winning the title despite facing tough competition from leading players on the LET.
This year, keeping the title oin Thailamnd is a more daunting task than ever – eight out of the top 10 on the LET Orders of Merit standings have signed up for the 126-player event, which features a total of 126 players: the top 70 from the LET, top 40 from the Thai LPGA and 16 from sponsor invites.
They will be competing in a 72-hole strokeplay format for which only the top 60 will make the weekend cut.
Apart from the world ranking points, the LET Thailand Championship winner will receive an LET Tour card which guarantees them qualification for both the British Women’s Open and the Evian Championship.
Moreover, European LET members are eligible to earn Solheim Cup points for top-10 finishes and this week marks a golden opportunity for the LET players to push to qualify for Team Europe.
Many of the top drawcards were at Tuesday’s traditional pre-tournament photoshoot: the two current and former champions Kanyalak and Atthaya along with compatriot Chonlada Chayanun, South Korean pin-up girl Yoo Hyun Ju, No 3 Esther Henseleit of Germany and 2018 Rookie of the Year Julia Engstrom of Sweden.
TrueSport HD3 is broadcasting live coverage of the event on Saturday and Sunday (1pm - 4pm).
Daily tickets costing just Bt100 are available at the public entrance to the course, while those under 18 and over 60 can get in for free.
