Aditi Ashok, Maha Haddioui and Georgia Hall are raring to go ahead of the first Ladies European Tour (LET) tournament in Doha
21 November 2016, Doha, Qatar: World-class female golfers have arrived in Doha ready for what is shaping to be an unforgettable showdown in the inaugural Qatar Ladies Open (QLO).
Staged at the Doha Golf Club from Wednesday (November 23), golf fans across the capital will have the chance to see Swedish star Anna Nordqvist, who will be joined by fellow compatriot Lina Boqvist as well as Solheim Cup teammate, Caroline Hedwall. The Swedes will be looking for podium glory this Saturday (November 26) when the curtain draws on the first-time event, which has attracted a stunning line-up.
Also hoping to be in the mix on the final day will be rising star Aditi Ashok from India, who is fresh off the back of her maiden win at the Hero Women’s Indian Open. She will head into the Qatar Ladies Open brimming with confidence, which will no doubt inspire fellow Indian players Neha Tripathi and Vaishnavi Sinha. Ashok, who was part of the panel at today’s official launch press conference, said: “Obviously it was my first win (Hero Women’s Indian Open) of my career, which is always the hardest, and now I’m more confident going into every event.
“I’ve only played the front nine since I’ve been here and I think it’s a challenging course and with the wind it’ll play different every day. I’m sure if I can keep my momentum I can do well again this week.”
The UK’s Florentyna Parker, who’s already competed 15 times this year on the LET, will no doubt draw inspiration from seasoned golfer Trish Johnson and Hall of Fame inductee Dame Laura Davies. Georgia Hall, who impressed recently with a runner-up finish in Abu Dhabi, also spoke at the press conference, saying: “It’s my first time here and I’m excited because the golf course is in great shape – the setup is brilliant.
“This course is a slightly short for me, but you get some reachable par 5s so it’s a bit of a risk reward course. I’m playing really well at the moment and I’m confident going into Wednesday. I’ve got to stay patient and hopefully a win is around the corner for me.”
Local women of all ages can draw inspiration from two Arabic players; LET pro Maha Haddioui from Morocco and her compatriot, amateur Lina Belmati. Haddioui spoke passionately about the upcoming competition: “It’s always great to have new tournaments but to me it’s extra special playing in Qatar being an Arab country, so 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, playing this week and the LET all year.
“I’m looking for a top ten finish. I really like the course and it’s the type of course I enjoy playing on.”
Haddioui continued; “I’m the only woman playing right now as a professional and hopefully that will grow; I’m sure it will grow all over the Arab world in the coming years.”
The conference was opened by Fahad Nasser Al Naimi, General Secretary of the Qatar Golf Association (QGA), who spoke zealously about the four-day event and the future of golf in the country. “I would like to welcome you all here to the Qatar Ladies Open this week and thank the Ladies European Tour for giving us this opportunity to have this tournament here in Qatar.
“Now we have this tournament, we hope it will grow bigger and bigger, just like the Qatar Masters has. I hope everyone has a nice time this weekend and good luck this week to all the players.”
Michael Wood, Tournament Director & Technical Manager at the LET also expressed his excitement of bringing the tour to the capital: “This inaugural event not only promotes the world-class sporting facilities this nation has to offer by welcoming some of the world’s best LET golfers, but provides a platform to inspire women from Qatar to pick up this exciting game.
“At the LET we are conscious to not only grow the game of golf amongst women, but to do so at exceptional venues. I’m sure that the players will be tested here at Doha Golf Club and enjoy what the course has to offer over the coming days. I hope you enjoy the coming days – I’m sure it will be unforgettable for everyone.”
The talent-filled line-up continues with Australia’s Sarah Kemp, who’ll be keen to find form once again after a rollercoaster month on the course. As will the French constituency of Gwladys Nocera, Isabelle Boineau and Anne-Lise Caudal, who’ll be keen to flourish after her T6 finish in India. Austrian Christine Wolf will be looking to continue her momentum after a T21 and T11 finish in Abu Dhabi and India this month respectively. And fan favourites Carly Booth and Amy Boulden will be looking to end the latter half of 2016 with a podium finish, but they’ll face tough competition from a total of 108 players all gunning for the maiden QLO trophy.
Players will also be in with a chance of taking away an OMEGA watch. During the QLO, OMEGA has taken over Hole 17, where the first player who shoots a hole-in-one will be rewarded with a Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Ladies watch. This luxurious timepiece is made with 18K Sedna™ gold and stainless steel, and features a diamond-set bezel and a stunning white mother-of-pearl dial. On the inside, the watch is driven by OMEGA's revolutionary Master Co-Axial technology, a standard of quality that is perfectly suited to a player with unrivalled accuracy.
The QLO promises much more than world-class golf with an abundance of family-friendly activities in The QLO Village. Visitors to the tournament can also unwind and enjoy the chic surroundings and delicious hospitality offerings in the Belgian Café and the rooftop St. Tropez lounge.
The Qatar Ladies Open will take place from 23-26 November 2016 at Doha Golf Club. The event is free to attend and more information is available fromwww.qatarladiesopen.com
The full player field is also available on www.qatarladiesopen.com, and more news can be found on the event’s official Instagram and Twitter accounts (@qatarladiesopen), and on Facebook
