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Lady Golfer Columnist: Becky Brewerton

Lady Golfer Columnist: Becky Brewerton

Saluting Laura Davies, the true legend of the tour
 

EVERY event this year is huge for trying to make the Solheim Cup side. The points are double those of last year so every tournament is crucial and you can really make a significant move up the rankings with a couple of big weeks.

The qualifying system can be quite complicated but you have to finish inside the top 10 (top 20 for a Major) to record any points so, other than Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, nobody is really certain of anything yet.

Four players qualify through the Ladies’ European Tour rankings, four through the world rankings with four captain’s picks making up the side.

If I were in charge I would have five spots for the LET players as it used to be. I suppose I would say that given that this is where I play but I think it is so important to support the home tour.

I really felt for Diana Luna as she just missed out last time and, if you do, you sort of have the feeling that the picks will go to those playing on the LPGA Tour.

It doesn’t encourage those players to get behind our tour though players like Laura Davies and Sophie Gustafson have been incredible supporters of the LET and it makes such a difference whenever they play.

Had it not been for Laura at times you wonder whether the LET would have kept going at times.

I can see it from their point of view but you’d like to think that more could be done by some to play a bit more in Europe.

Over the two-year qualifying period you only have to play in six events – so if you take the British Open and Evian that is four – which leaves only one event per season.

If you can’t make that then that is a serious lack of effort, if it were up to me it would be 15 events.

We have now got the opportunity to build a really good tour with the new chief executive and, if we could attract the bigger names, then that would elevate the sponsors, crowds, prize money and, ultimately, gain us some more respect.

She will always be thought of as the absolute legend of the European Tour I can understand the travel side of it but Laura has won 84 events around the world and has probably cost herself a place in the Hall of Fame but she will always be thought of as the absolute legend of the European Tour.

On the course I am getting there and the confidence is slowly coming back. We recently visited Mission Hills in China for the World Ladies Championship where I was representing Wales with Lydia Hall and it really is an amazing place. It is hard to get your head round the scale of the place, there are 10 courses there and it takes 25 minutes to drive from one end of the property to the other.

That said it was such a treat to be able to walk back to your room after the round. It was an individual and team event though we didn’t play in teams but we were in the next pairing to one another so you get a sense of being together.

Suzann Pettersen’s score to win the individual was incredible and I could never have imagined someone finishing at 18 under. When you look at her stats of fairways and greens hit she obviously did very little wrong all four days.

Otherwise we have been Down Under and the pick of those weeks was Lydia Ko’s victory in New Zealand. I played with Lydia in the first two rounds in the same event last year and she is so lovely and carefree and happy and takes everything in her stride. Even when she won her reaction was extremely calm and her level of consistency is almost even more impressive.

Everyone raved about Michelle Wie at such a young age but you would have to say that Lydia is some way better at such an age. Her putting is phenomenal and the stroke is fantastic.

And she’s not yet 16 – absolutely incredible!

Becky Brewerton, from Abergele in Wales, plays on the LET. She has won three times and was part of the 2007 and 2009 Solheim Cup teams.

Follow her on Twitter: @BeckyBrewerton

Why not read our latest health and well being tips from columnist Jayne Storey HERE

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