Left to right: Keith Pelley, Marta Figueras-Dotti, LET CEO Alexandra Armas, Catriona Matthew and LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan, at Buckinghamshire Golf Club, which unveiled the significant jump in prize money for 2020. Picture by TRISTAN JONES

A NEW decade brings a new-look Ladies European Tour and for the first time in history, LET members will play for a combined prize money fund of almost €18 million in 2020.

That’s an increase in prize money of around a third – up €4.5 million on 2019, with the 2020 schedule featuring 24 tournaments, which is four more than last year.

They include 15 in Europe, in addition to August’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, plus a new event in England in August, which will be announced separately.

The Race to Costa del Sol, offering €250,000 in prize money between the top three finishers on the official ranking, will commence with the Australian Ladies Classic Bonville, in February.

It will conclude with the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España Femenino in November, the latter having doubled its prize money to €600,000.

The 2020 LET schedule includes two new events in Sweden – the €1.5million Scandinavian Mixed hosted by Henrik Stenson and Annika Sorenstam and the Creekhouse Ladies Open.

There is also a new $1million event in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Ladies Championship, as well as the Mithra Belgian Ladies Open, the Dutch Ladies Open and the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open.

The 15 events in Europe also include the Jabra Ladies Open, La Reserva de Sotogrande Invitational, Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open, the Evian Championship, Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, AIG Women’s British Open, TIPSPORT Czech Ladies Open and Lacoste Ladies Open de France, as well as the new UK event.

The significantly improved schedule demonstrates the immediate success of the new LPGA-LET joint venture, with a new board of directors working together to grow the opportunities for LET members, especially in the continent of Europe.

Chaired by LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan, the new joint venture board includes six directors from the LET, who met at The Buckinghamshire Golf Club for the historic announcement on Friday.

The six LET directors are Marta Figueras-Dotti, Eleanor Givens, Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew, Liz Young, Justin Abbott and Alastair Ruxton.

There are also four directors from the LPGA – commissioner Mike Whan, Liz Moore, Kathy Milthorpe and Mike Nichols – as well as The R&A’s chief executive Martin Slumbers and the European Tour’s chief executive Keith Pelley.

Whan said: “The LET and the LPGA only began working together in September 2019, but we’ve been blown away with the results in the first 90 days and the positive response from across the golf industry.

“With overall purse increases and seven new events, our athletes will have more opportunities for success.

“It’s exciting to think what we can accomplish after a full year of working with our new board.

“We have a long way to go, but I’m so happy to say that this is the best position that European women’s professional golf has ever been in.”

The LET’s new chief executive Alexandra Armas was given the job having been in charge since September when outgoing-boss Mark Lichtenhein departed.

Armas said: “I want to thank all the federations who have shown their belief in our new team and vision – but also recognise the important contribution of our existing event promoters and sponsors, whose long-term support and commitment is immensely valuable to our organisation.

“What we have achieved in the last 90 days in incredible and this is just the start of a new direction for the LET.”

Solheim captain hails exciting LET future

VICTORIOUS 2019 Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew believes the LET will hit new heights in 2020.

Matthew said: “I committed myself to playing on the LET in Europe last year and I couldn’t be more excited about what’s been achieved over the last 90 days to improve the schedule.

“This is a tour that existing players and those joining for the first time should be proud to be part of.

“I’ll be keeping an eye on some of the exciting young players coming through as we look ahead to retaining the Solheim Cup in Toledo next year.”

Solheim Cup player Anne van Dam is happy to be involved as an ambassador for the new Dutch Ladies Open, which will be played at her home course, Rosendealsche Golf Club, in Arnhem.

Van Dam said: “It’s important to have an event in your country to help develop the game and inspire the next generation – just as I was inspired when I was able to watch and then play in the Dutch Ladies Open when I was young.

“The 2020 schedule is looking really strong and I’m so pleased to have an event in the Netherlands.”

Jeroen Stevens, director of the Netherlands Golf Federation, said the organisation was proud to have a new LET event, with van Dam as its ambassador.

“The LPGA commitment toward the LET was what the NGF Board needed to commit to signing a three-year contract with the LET, to promote ladies’ golf in the Netherlands,” he said.

“We strongly believe it is essential to have more female golfers, to grow the game of golf in our country.

“We are therefore convinced we will prove in the coming years that investing in women’s golf is not only logical, from a diversity point of view, but also from the commercial perspective.

“We thank the LET and LPGA for giving us the opportunity to prove that golf is a sport for women, men and children of all ages.”

With two new tournaments in Sweden, rising star Julia Engström is looking forward to playing on home soil.

Engström said: “This is my third year on Tour and I’m very excited to have the opportunity to play in my home country for the first time since turning professional.

“The last time I played an LET event in Sweden was when I was 13 years old and I remember it to be the greatest thing in my career.

“I had so much support on the course from all the fans. It’s very exciting to have two new Swedish events, both completely different concepts and at world-class venues!”

European federations hail LET-LPGA joint venture

A NUMBER of European Golf federations have come out strongly in support of the LPGA-LET joint venture, including Sweden, which has two new events.

Gunnar Håkansson, secretary-general of the Swedish Golf Federation, said: “For the Swedish Golf Federation, it’s an important role, to support talent in their aim to become world-class players.

“In doing so, tournaments are important, but for a long time we have lacked an LET event in Sweden.

“It’s therefore very satisfactory that the LET will return in 2020, where our partner Kristianstad GC will arrange the Creekhouse Ladies Open.”

Barbara Albisetti, general secretary of Swiss Golf, also welcomed the LET back to Switzerland.

Albisetti said: “Swiss Golf is extremely pleased a professional women’s tournament of the highest category will take place in Switzerland in 2020.

“Such an event has been missing since the LET tournament in Losone, more than 10 years ago.

“We are very grateful for the support of the LET and LPGA for making this event a reality, and we look forward to hosting the VP Bank Ladies Swiss Open next September.

“The LET event is the ideal platform to promote golf and ladies’ golf in Switzerland, and obviously it is the best place to inspire our top players and our young talents.

“We are determined to make the event in Ennetsee one of the most important appointments for golf in our country for many years to come.”

•To see the full dates of the LET 2020 season and the prize money at each event click here.

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Holland’s Anne Van Dam claimed the Andalucia Costa Del Sol Ladies Spanish Open for the second year in a row at Marbella’s Aloha Golf Club. Picture by TRISTAN JONES

ANNE Van Dam from the Netherlands won the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España for the second straight year, collecting her fifth Ladies European Tour title at Aloha Golf Club, in Marbella, on Sunday.

Van Dam was three strokes behind Nanna Koerstz Madsen after the third round and the Dane was still one ahead standing on the 18th tee.

However, as the winds strengthened, Madsen hit an aggressive drive into the lake left of the fairway and then three-putted to run up a double bogey.

Van Dam used her four-iron to split the fairway, before playing up to the green and eventually rolling in a two-foot putt for par to seal the victory.

It was her second of the 2019 season, following her win at the ActewAGL Canberra Classic, in March.

“I did not expect that,” said 24=year-old Van Dam, who earned her third trophy in Spain, following her Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open and Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España titles in 2018.

“That’s golf. It was a crazy day. If you would have told me at the beginning of the day that two under was enough to win, I would have said, okay, I’ll take it,” added Van Dam.

“It was a different day with harder conditions, a little bit of wind and it got really cold towards the end.

“Nanna is a good friend of mine and I would have loved to have beaten her in a play-off; that would have been a better feeling for me – but that’s golf.

“She took more of a risk hitting a driver off the tee and I’ve been hitting an iron off the tee there all week.”

Van Dam, the longest hitter on both the LET and LPGA Tours in 2019, took her driver out of her golf bag for the tournament, but admitted she is keen to be reunited with it in the near future.

“I’m not sure we’re going to keep that going, because I love to hit driver,” the Dutch Solheim Cup player revealed.

“But it was a different week and you didn’t need a driver much this week. I just stuck to my plan, even though it was hard to only hit three-wood sometimes.

“It was a game plan we made this week and it paid off. I had a three-iron and a four-iron I could use off the tee as well as a five-wood and a three-wood, so I had a lot of options from the tee and I think that paid off.”

Van Dam shot 13-under at La Quinta Golf and Country Club to win the title 12 months ago, winning by three shots.

A final two-under par 70 in breezy conditions was enough to seal the title once again, as the defending champion got to 13-under for the week.

Madsen wound up tied for second with India’s Aditi Ashok on 12-under and was clearly disappointed.

She had taken a two-stroke lead into the back-nine after holing her second shot for eagle on the ninth hole.

Although Madsen double bogeyed the short 13th to drop into a share of the lead with Van Dam, she had birdied the 16th to regain the advantage.

Madsen said: “I lost today – Anne didn’t really win. I played terrible and had three double-bogeys which cost me everything.

“On one hole, I had a wrong distance, then I pulled one and then on the last one, I played aggressively and had said that I would play driver, no matter what.”

Azahara Muñoz, who won the title in 2016 and 2017, tied for fourth place with Germany’s Olivia Cowan and Sweden’s Julia Engstrom, while the USA’s Cheyenne Woods, fellow American Christina Kim and Norway’s Marianne Skarpnord shared seventh.

•To see the final results of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España click here.

The Buckinghamshire-based LET now moves south for the season-ending Magical Kenya Ladies Open, where Skarpnord is set to be crowned as the winner of the LET Order of Merit.

German rookie Esther Henseleit is the only player who could unseat her, should she secure her maiden win.

LET announces end of season Magical Kenya Open

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Norway’s Suzann Pettersen (left) and Holland’s Anne Van Dam walk off the seventh green during Friday afternoon foursomes against the USA. Picture by MATTHEW LEWIS

EUROPE will take a narrow one point lead into the second day of the 16^th Solheim Cup at the PGA Centenary course at Gleneagles.

The home team are 4½-3½ in front heading into the second series of foursomes and fourballs.

But it is the American team who have momentum on their side after a dramatic finish to the day in which they came from behind to salvage halves in both of the last two fourball matches.

The home side took a slender 2½-1½ lead into the fourballs. But it disappeared when in the second match on the course Ally McDonald and Angel Yin – both left out of the morning foursomes – took just 13 holes to beat Swedish duo Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall 7&5.

The Americans good off to a fast start with birdies at the first three holes and they also birdied the fifth, ninth, 10th and 11th to increase that advantage to seven.

Nordqvist did get one hole back with a birdie at the 12^th before McDonald, a late replacement for the injured Stacy Lewis, closed out the match with a par on the next.

The 7&5 score tied the record for the biggest margin of victory in a Solheim Cup fourball, set by one of this year’s US vice-captains – Pat Hurst – and her partner Rosie Jones in their match against Lisa Hall and Sophie Gustafson, at Muirfield Village, in 1998.

“That was the year I was born,” laughed a delighted Yin. “I would say we’re ham and eggs.

“We’ve always got each other’s back, no matter what, and we work together as a team, communicate well. We’re just such a good pairing.”

Her partner McDonald added: “When Juli called me in to replace Stacy, I knew it could go either way, so to be able to go into my first match and get a point for the US means a lot.”

The USA won the first fourball series 4-0 two years ago in Iowa.

But any hopes they had of replicating that feat disappeared when the veteran Swede, Suzann Pettersen, and the rookie Dutchwoman, Anne Van Dam, beat Danielle Kang and Lizette Salas 4&2.

It was a significant win for Pettersen because it was her ninth Solheim Cup fourball victory, tying the European record, held by Laura Davies.

“I just want to say I had the best partner in the world,” said the Norwegian.

“I told you we don’t have any rookie on the team. I mean, this girl, I think she’s the best golfer I’ve ever seen on the women’s side. Today, she was an absolute rock star.”

Van Dam added: “Walking through that tunnel, especially to play with Suzann, who has been my idol growing up, for her to say, ‘Let’s enjoy this,’ that is what I was going to do.

“I was just hitting it solid from the beginning. It is not an easy golf course.

“Even from the tee you have to hit it in the fairway. If I hit it in the rough I lose my advantage a little bit from the tee, but it was great.

“I’m happy I played well and I was happy and comfortable around Suzann.”

At that stage, the Europeans were one point clear of the Americans.

And that is how it remained when Lexi Thompson holed a curling 25-foot birdie putt across the last green to secure a halve for her and partner Jessica Korda against Bronte Law and Carlota Ciganda.

Then, in the final match, and with the sun starting to set at the end of a long but riveting day, the Europeans, Charley Hull and Azahara Munoz, also lost the last to a birdie to tie their match with Nelly Korda and Brittany Altomare.

The Europeans had been four up with five to play. This time it was rookie Altomare who did the damage, also holing out from long range to keep her side within one point of their rivals.

“Those two half points at the end of the day were huge,” said US captain Juli Inkster.

European captain, Catriona Matthew at the 10th tee during Friday morning foursomes. Picture by MARK RUNNACLES

“For two rookies (Nelly Korda and Altomare) to be four down with five holes left and come back and tie, you can’t teach that.

“It’s just in your belly. I’m just so impressed with them. It was a great end to the day.”

European captain Catriona Matthew said: “Obviously, we got off to a great start in the foursomes. Our objective was to win every session.

“The finish wasn’t what we were looking for, everyone’s a little disappointed with that, but I think you have to take the positives.

“We’re leading. We’re a point up. If we’re leading at the end of each day, that would be great.”

Matthew sticks with three pairings

CATRIONA MATTHEW has named three unchanged pairs for the second series of Solheim Cup foursomes.

The Scot brings back Georgia Hall and Celine Boutier and Charlie Hull and Azahara Munoz after both pairs won on the first morning.

Carlota Ciganda and Bronte Law also return after halving their first foursomes match. The newcomers are Anna Nordqvist and Anne Van Dam.

The American captain Juli Inkster has rung the changes in an effort to make up the 4½-3½ overnight deficit.

She has given a second foursomes start to sisters Jessica and Nelly Korda who won on the first morning and also Morgan Pressel and Marina Alex who supplied a half point against Ciganda and Law.

The new American pairings are Lizette Salas and Ally McDonald and Danielle Kang and Megan Khang.

The first match on the course at 8.10am will feature Nordqvist and Van Dam against Pressel and Alex.

They are followed by Hall and Boutier against Salas and McDonald at 8.22am, Hull and Munoz against Kang and Khang at 8.34am and Ciganda and Law against the Korda sisters at 8.46am.

For live scoring from day two click here.

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EUROPEAN vice-captain Suzann Pettersen is gunning for a Solheim Cup pick and will tee up in this week’s Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open looking to impress captain Catriona Matthew.

Pettersen and Matthew played together in the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational three weeks ago, which was Pettersen’s first start in 20 months, following the birth of her first child, Herman.

Although the pair didn’t make the cut, Pettersen is out to prove herself worthy of one of Matthew’s four picks at The Renaissance Club when the action gets under way on Thursday.

“Obviously I would love to play. It’s the biggest and best stage in golf,” said Pettersen, when asked if she would like to play in her ninth Solheim Cup, taking place at Gleneagles, in Scotland, next month.

“I would love to play, if my game is up to it. It’s hard to really tell and that’s why I would love to play this week just to see – and we are picking the team in a week’s time,” Suzann added.

“I’m not the one who will pick the final four. I’ve told Beany (Matthew) I would love to, but I also need to show some signs of good form.

“Had you talked to me in April, I would have said, ‘No chance,’ but things have changed a bit.

“First of all, I’m a vice-captain, but if she wants me to play, I’ll be honoured and I’ll take that as a credit. Not even I know that.”

When Matthew was asked, at a press conference, about Pettersen’s chances – and whether a Scottish Open win might put her into the frame for selection – the captain replied: “I suppose you need to ask Suzann that…

“But it’s great to see her playing. I played with her and she was impressive and looked like she had not been away.

“She was perhaps a little unsure of how she might play with being out of the game for probably the year-and-a-half she was.

“I think just from talking to her, she’s kind of got that bug back in her system and is keen to start playing again.

“Obviously she’s got the experience there. I would say she’s looking good, actually. I think she’s looking confident.

“She putted well at the Dow. So it will be interesting to see how she does this week.”

The Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open is the final qualification event for the European Solheim Cup team.

It will provide a gripping subplot as the players try to catch Matthew’s eye or earn their place on the team.

Ladies European Tour members will be awarded points for top 10 finishes, with 70 points available for a win down to seven points for 10^th position in the ‘host event’.

The top three places on the team, currently occupied by Carlota Ciganda, Caroline Hedwall and Anne Van Dam, qualify from the European Solheim Cup points list, while the next five spots – currently held by Charley Hull, Georgia Hall, Azahara Muñoz, Caroline Masson and Anna Nordqvist – come via the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

The other players in the field, who are in the frame, include Yorkshire’s LPGA winner Bronte Law, Frenchwoman Celine Boutier, German rookie Esther Henseleit, Norwegian Marianne Skarpnord, English pair Mel Reid and Meghan MacLaren and Denmark’s Nicole Broch Larsen.

Matthew added: “If you look mathematically, there’s a lot of people who could still potentially play their way in.

“There’s still a big pool. I’m looking at a slightly smaller one, but you have to be ready for that unexpected result.

“Obviously I’ve got my eye on a few people and I think, as a player, you kind of know…

“Some of them haven’t had the results the last couple of weeks they would have liked and know they have to put in a big week this week. I think everyone kind of hopefully knows what they need to do.”

Matthew has been drawn with Reid and Hedwall, starting at 1.04pm on Thursday, while Pettersen has been drawn with Van Dam and Boutier, starting from the 10^th at 7.33am.

Fellow European Solheim Cup vice-captain Laura Davies has been drawn with Law and Broch Larsen, teeing off at 12.53pm.

The European team will be announced at a press conference at Gleneagles at 2pm on Monday, following the final round of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open.

The North Berwick tournament is the penultimate qualification event for the United States’ Solheim Cup side, led by captain Juli Inkster.

The USA team will be revealed following the CP Women’s Open in Canada, on August 25.

The fulll draw for the first round of the Ladies Scottish Open can be seen here

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