As the LET and LPGA get underway with the adding excitement of Solheim Cup picks, here are the women we’re putting our money on to make headlines in 2019.
As the LET and LPGA get underway with the adding excitement of Solheim Cup picks, here are the women we’re putting our money on to make headlines in 2019.
Georgia Hall
Twenty-two-year-old Georgia Hall had never won on the Ladies European Tour or the LPGA before, but that didn’t stop her from adding her name to the Ricoh Women’s British Open trophy in momentous style last summer. She’s one of only five British major winners in history, the only player to ever win the British Girls, British Amateur, and British Open, and the youngest player to have ever won two consecutive LET order of merit titles.
Hall has already confessed that she’s on a mission to become world number one, but is 2019 the year we’ll see it happen?
Nasa Hataoka
Nasa Hataoka from Japan won twice on the LPGA Tour in 2018. At just 19-years old, she’s already made her mark on women’s golf and is definitely one to watch this year.
Anne Van Dam
Dutchwoman Anne Van Dam has won her last two events on the Ladies European Tour: the Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open and the Andalucia Costa del Sol Open de Espana. She’s looking to stretch that to three in a row at this weekend’s Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in Abu Dhabi.
Bronte Law
England’s Bronte Law set a new record at Lalla Aicha Tour School last month with a winning total of 26-under-par.
European Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew commented that Bronte had been on her radar for selection for a while, so could that performance have secured a spot for the Stockport 23-year-old?
Leona Maguire
Maguire twin Leona will play her maiden season on the LET this year after turning professional as the world’s best amateur. At 24, she’s already made three Curtis Cup appearances and also competed in the 2016 Olympic Games.
Michelle Wie
The 29-year-old has taken three months off with a wrist injury after withdrawing from the Women’s British Open last summer. Wie captured her first title in four years at the 2018 HSBC Women’s World Championship and is just about ready to tee it up again in February.
Ariya Jutanugarn
World number one Ariya Jutanugarn will make her season debut at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions on 17 January. She’ll be following a historic season on the LPGA Tour in 2018 with a new member on her team, caddie Daniel Taylor.
Charley Hull
We didn’t see quite as much as we’d hoped last year from 22-year old Charley Hull, but she’s come out hot from the starting blocks this season and currently leads the way at the LET season-opener in Abu Dhabi, the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open.
Hull is one of the best things that has ever happened to women’s golf and we’re sure there’s even more to come.
Lexi Thompson
Lexi Thompson abruptly withdrew from the Women's British Open last summer before announcing to the world that she’ll be taking some off to recharge, but there’s little surprise really that the 23-year-old was feeling the emotional and mental effects of 2017; She lost the ANA Inspiration following a four-stroke penalty for incorrectly marking her ball, missed a two-foot putt for victory at the season-finale CME Group Tour Championship, and attended to her mother's battle with cancer.
When she returned to the game, she did it the only way she knew how – by winning. She clinched the title at the CME Group Tour Championship, a victory that extended her winning streak to six consecutive years, the longest ever on the LPGA Tour.
