Denmark’s Puk Lyng Thomsen made a big move up the PING Junior Solheim Cup European Ranking after winning at the European Amateur Team Championship at Helsingør Golf Club.


Puk Lyng Thomsen

Denmark’s Puk Lyng Thomsen made a big move up the PING Junior Solheim Cup European Ranking after winning the individual stroke play qualifying event at the European Amateur Team Championship at Helsingør Golf Club in her home country.

The 17 year-old from Frederikshavn carded rounds of 71 and 65 to finish a single shot ahead of England’s Alice Hewson and Finland’s Matilda Castren and in the process jump up from a share in ninth on the European Ranking into a tie for second place behind current leader, France’s Agathe Laisne.

Austria’s Emma Spitz and Spain’s Ana Pelaez are two other players to have made substantial advances up the European Ranking thanks to their fine performances at the concurrent European Girls‘ Team Championship at the Kaskáda Golf Resort in the Czech Republic. Reigning Italian Women’s International champion, Spitz, entered the Ranking in a share of fifth place after carding rounds of 73 and 70 to win the individual stroke play qualifying event at Kaskáda while Pelaez jumped up from tied 6th to tied 2nd with Thomsen after finishing one shot behind her Austrian rival.
Spitz went on to help Austria finish third behind Spain and Italy in the team event.

France beat Switzerland 4-3 in the final of the European Women’s Team Championship played in Denmark while Spain defeated Italy by the same scoreline in the European Girls‘ Team Championship in the Czech Republic.

The top-10 as it stands at present with just two counting events left to go – the ANNIKA Invitational Europe at Bro-Bålsta GK, Sweden (August 4-6) and the Girls’ British Open Championship at West Kilbride GC, Scotland, (August 10-14) – is headed by Laisne with 70 points and she is followed by Pelaez and Thomsen (both 50 points), Germany’s Leonie Harm (42.5 points), Spitz, Ireland’s Olivia Mehaffey and Sweden’s Elin Esborn (all 40 points), Spain’s Maria Parra (37.5 points), Hewson (35 points) and Germany’s Esther Henseleit (30 points). The top six on the European Ranking after the Girls‘ British Open will all earn automatic places in the European side for this year’s PING Junior Solheim Cup at St. Leon-Rot Golf Club (September 14-15). The team will be completed with six Captain’s picks.

For PING Junior Solheim Cup details visit www.solheimcup.com