LET Now A Tour

LET NOW A

TOUR de FORCE

Thanks to events such as the ARAMCO TEAM SERIES, things have never looked brighter for the LADIES GAME

FOR OLIVIA COWAN

by MATT SMITH photographs SUPPLIED

olivia cowan is back and raring to go as the Ladies European Tour (LET) continues to embrace its new look and increased prize money.

The German star has caused a stir since she joined the LET in 2016, with her named seemingly a permanent fixture near the top of leaderboards most weeks.

Twelve months ago, Olivia won her first LET title when she claimed the innovative team crown at the inaugural Aramco Team Series (ATS) — London alongside Sarina Schmidt and Diksha Dagar.

With the event having just returned to Centurion Club for the second time at the end of June, the ATS continues to grow in popularity — among both the fans and players. England’s Bronte Law claimed the individual title and Team Nicole Garcia overcame Team Ursula Wikstrom in a dramatic final-day play-off at St Albans.

For the second year running, Centurion Club hosted more than 100 golfers (hot on the heels of the inaugural LIV Golf tournament for the men) to compete in the 54-hole individual competition alongside a team event for combined prize fund of $1 million.

Cowan, runner-up in the individual event in Jeddah last year, finished T37 on a return from injury, and also managed to add to her impressive time in the Aramco events with a hole-in-one on Day 2 at Centurion this time around. And it is fair to say she is a fan of the new-look series.

“I’d say, since these events have come on tour they are among my favourites, especially London as I have done well there and I always get a lot of support,” Olivia told Golf Digest Middle East.

“A lot of people you know come out to follow you, so that’s always fun.”

Oliva admitted that days before the Aramco Team Series was due to begin at Centurion Club she had not hit a golf ball in a long time due to a ‘tennis elbow’ injury.

“I was injured so my preparations have not been ideal,” she explained. “I was resting and getting my injury sorted. I had lateral epicondylitis, but it is feeling a lot better.”

The ladies game, and LET in particular, is enjoying increased exposure around the world these days thanks to investment from Golf Saudi and Aramco, who have added $5 million to the prize money this season through the five Aramco events, plus more competitions getting live broadcasts on TV and online. Cowan is welcoming the extra attention and the innovatiove new competitions.

“I think it is great that someone is taking an interest in women’s golf and they are trying to help us along with our future,” she said.

“Aramco have come in and put these events on around the world. They are obviously different to a normal tournament as they are team events — this is something we have all been missing.

“We grew up playing amateur golf and with the national teams, where you did have team events and we all loved it. So to bring that aspect back and bring it into the professional side was something that was missing, and they knew it, and it is great that they have helped up with that.

“They have also really helped with the financial side of things, it is just really great. We are now seeing a lot of players coming from the LPGA and wanting to be a part of it because it is quite lonely on tour — golf is quite an individual sport — so to be able to take part in something different and be in a team for a week, it is just a lot more fun.

“Everyone looks forward these events.”

With the team win last year and a hole-in-one at ATS — London 2022, Centurion Club is fast becoming a favourite place to play for Olivia. She is also delighted to see the men’s game get in on the act thanks to the LIV Golf Invitational Series, which saw the likes of Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia compete for a total prize pot of $25 million (individual winner Charl Schwartzel took home $4 million, along with a share of an additional $3 million with his fellow ‘Stingers’ Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Hennie Du Plessis for claiming the inaugural team crown).

“I really like the course, it is a lot of fun to play and there are some quirky holes out there,” she said. “The LIV event is great too, as I think it is what golf needs at the moment. It just needs a few different ways to show off the game. So I think it is great.”

She hinted at widening the LIV scope to make it a mixed event like the recent Trust Golf competitions on the Asian Tour and the Scandinavian Mixed, which was won by the LET’s Linn Grant — the first time a female has won a DP World Tour event.

“I am a bit sad I am not playing the LIV events,” Olivia said with a smile. “I think the girls could participate too at some point. I think that would be good fun.”

Give it some time, Olivia, you never know…

While Olvia claimed the team title at ATS last year, she has yet to add to her three LET Access Series individual crowns since taking the step up to the full tour in 2016. A swath of top-10 finishes over the next few years culminated in a careerbest T2 at the 2019 Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic before COVID-19 took its toll on golf around the world. But with golf back in full swing, Olivia is also back and still hunting that elusive top spot.

“I am confident in my game,” she said. “I have always been a steady player. I’ve always not had too many mistakes and I have always been up there. I guess I am just waiting for that little bit of luck to get me that win. But I am very confident looking ahead.

“Having a good mindset really helps, and I am excited going forward.”

Not surprisingly, Olivia has fond memories of her time in the UAE at the day/night Dubai Moonlight Classic — another innovation on the LET.

‘Aramco have come in and

PUT THESE EVENTS ON AROUND THE WORLD. They are obviously different to a normal tournament as they are team events

— THIS IS SOMETHING WE HAVE ALL BEEN MISSING.’

“Again, I think it great they are coming up with different ways to show off our sport, and show that you can play night golf,” she said. “I think it is great we have it on the schedule and it is a lot of fun.

“It can be tougher at sunset as you go from light into dark, it can mess with your eyesight, but it is a whole lot of fun.”

With the conclusion of the Scandinavian Mixed, Olivia is keen to see even more variety on tour to ‘mix’ things up along with the traditional tournaments.

“I think there should be more mixed events and crossovers on tour,” she said. “Whenever I speak to players — girls or the guys — they all say they would love to see more mixed events as they are a lot of fun, too. Of course we already have the one in Sweden (Scandinavian), and it is always good fun showing the guys what we have to offer.

“It is always hard to set them up to be fair, and there will always be critics, but that is the same for all golf.

“There should be more of it. I actually think there should be a team mixed event — one guy, one girl together in a matchplay format, I think that would be a lot of fun.”

This is a concept that has been raised for future Olympics, and Olivia is all for it.

“I actually played at the Youth Olympics, and we had a completely different set up from the actual Olympics,” she explained. “It was just one girl and one boy, and we had three days of individual event and then three days of mixed, three different types of foursomes and that was the best. I was a bit surprised the Olympics didn’t do something like that. I thought that would have been interesting.”

With more refreshing changes arriving in golf, maybe it will only be a matter of time.

‘Whenever I speak to players, girls or guys, they all say they would

LOVE TO SEE MORE MIXED EVENTS as they are a lot of fun. It is always good

SHOWING THE GUYS WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER.’

WHIRLWIND WHITNEY

BY MATT SMITH

Whitney Hillier is going places, and quickly.

The Australian maintained a blistering season on the Ladies European Tour with fifth place at the Aramco Team Series — London, five shots behind eventual winner Bronte Law at Centurion Club.

This adds to a whirlwind month or so for the Australian, as it follows on from her team victory at the inaugural ATS event and 2022 series opener in Bangkok last month and an agonising play-off defeat to Tiia Koivisto of Finland at the Jabra Ladies Open in France.

“It has been an incredible few weeks,” Whitney told Golf Digest Middle East. “The ATS team win was special for me because my mum was born in Bangkok and to win in her homeland meant a lot. My game has been trending in a good direction for a few years now, so its nice to see the hard work and patience paying off.

“To play well last week in London at the ATS has given me more belief and confidence to push for more success.”

The Aramco series has certainly been a happy hunting ground for Hillier, who admits she is enjoying a bit of variety on tour. “It’s a great concept to give what is usually an individual sport a team element, something we don’t usually get to experience, while also showcasing the level of golf on the Ladies European Tour in a format that is innovative and exciting,” she said, while also acknowledging the boost the ladies game has received from the extra funding coming in from Aramco and Golf Saudi. “It’s huge for women’s golf,” she said. “To have the support and funding provided by Aramco and Golf Saudi shows their belief in what we do. Increasing our playing and earning opportunities is something we are all really grateful for.”

Like fellow players Bronte Law, Olivia Jackson and Olivia Cowan, Whitney is also happy to see the growth of mixed events on tour, such as the Scandinavian Mixed, where Linn Grant recently defeated the DP World Tour guys to claim the title.

“Playing alongside the guys is always fun, its something I’ve had the opportunity to do down in Australia at the Vic Open, so having the chance to do it around the world is exciting,” Hillier said. “Playing for the same prize fund sometimes brings about some complications, but it’s definitely always something I enjoy. It was great to see Linn win in Sweden, showing that us girls can really compete against the guys. The standard of golf in the ladies game is really good and is improving each and every year.”

team hillier: Whitney Hillier with her teammates Pattanan Amatanon, Chonlada Chayanun and Kirsta Bakker in Bangkok

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