DGC all set to host its first ever Ladies European Tour event

History will be made at the Doha Golf Club tomorrow when the picturesque course plays host to Qatar’s first ever women’s professional golf event, the Qatar Ladies Open, with some of the best players on the tour in attendance.
Women’s golf’s emerging stars like India’s Aditi Ashok, England’s Georgia Hall and Maha Haddioui of Morocco, the first Arab woman golfer to make the European Tour, will be among the 108 players who will compete for the €500,000 prize fund in the inaugural Ladies European Tour (LET) event in Qatar, which runs till Saturday.
The full field event is the third LET event in the Middle East, after the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters and the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open in Abu Dhabi, and is expected to inspire and empower local women players while leaving a lasting legacy on the growing golf scene in the region.
“We feel really proud to host the inaugural Qatar Ladies Open in Doha. This will be one of the most important international women’s golf tournaments, and we hope it will help cement Qatar’s position as a leading golf destination whilst also fostering participation and growing the success of our own players. We are pleased to be co-operating with the LET,” said Fahad Nasser al-Naimi, General Secretary of the Qatar Golf Association.
Aditi, from the southern Indian city of Bangalore, is coming here fresh off her maiden win at last week’s Hero Women’s Indian Open, the first Indian player to win on the Ladies European Tour. Naturally, she’s brimming with confidence.
“The first win is always the hardest, so now that baggage is off my back, I feel much more confident. This is my first time in Doha but the conditions and the course look great,” the 18-year-old, who was inspired to take golf as a career when she witnessed Laura Davies and Gwladys Nocera compete at the 2007 EMAAR-MGF Ladies Masters in her home city, said.
The Indian teenager, considered one of the longest hitters in the game, felt the DGC course fairways were a bit short. “That makes it all the more tricky, and the strong wind can actually make it tough if you hit a bit wide. I have only played the front nine since I’ve been here but I think it’s a challenging course and with the wind it’ll play different every day. Accuracy and control will be the key to success on this course. I hope I can keep my winning momentum going this week too,” added Aditi.
Haddioui, the first full-time Arab golfer on the LET who represented Morocco at the Olympic Games, said: “It’s always great to have new tournaments but to me it’s extra special playing in Qatar. Being an Arab country, it feels a bit like home. I’m really excited to represent Morocco here and mostly I’m really proud to be representing Arabs in general. I’m looking for a top ten finish. I like this course; it’s the type of course I enjoy playing on.”
England’s Hall is the in-form player here, having finished tied-third, fourth and second in her last three tournaments, and currently lies fourth on the LET Order of Merit. She shot a brilliant 64 at the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open in Abu Dhabi earlier this month, which was a course record, and hopes to carry the momentum here.
“The course is slightly short for me, but you get some reachable par 5s so it’s a bit of a risk reward course. The course is in great shape, and the setup is brilliant. I think I am playing really well at the moment. I just need to stay patient and hopefully a win is around the corner for me,” Hall said.
There are five recent tournament winners in the field, with the addition of Anne Van Dam from the Netherlands (Xiamen International Ladies Open), Isabelle Boineau from France (Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open), Nanna Koerstz Madsen from Denmark (Tipsport Golf Masters) and Nuria Iturrios from Spain (Lalla Meryem Cup).
The more experienced competitors in the field who could upset the applecart include Florentyna Parker, who is ranked fifth on the Order of Merit after six top-10 finishes in 2016, LET Life Members Dame Laura Davies and Trish Johnson, Gwladys Nocera and Swedish Solheim Cup partners Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall.