FROM LEFT. Maha Haddioui of Morocco, Ladies European Tour (LER) Professional, Georgia Hall, LER Professional from England, Fahad Nasser Al Naimi, General Secretary at Qatar Golf Association (QGA), Mohammed Faisal Al Naimi, Executive Director of QGA, Aditi
The young and the not-so-young on the Ladies European Tour (LET) will battle it out for top honours at the inaugural Qatar Ladies Open which starts at the picturesque Doha Golf Club (DGC) today.
Rising stars on the women's circuit Georgia Hall of Britain, Aditi Ashok of India and Moroccan Maha Haddioui will be aiming for the golden trophy with 108 other players when the four-day events ends on Saturday.
There are five recent tournament winners in the field - 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 odds 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.
With a world class field of competitors and a stunning course at Doha Golf Club, the tournament is shaping to be an unforgettable showdown in the inaugural Qatar Ladies Open.
Aditi Ashok from India, a star of the Olympic Games in Rio, has arrived in the capital fresh off the back of her maiden win at the Hero Women’s Indian Open and is brimming with confidence.
“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," the 18-year-old said.
“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,” she added.
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, so it feels a bit like home."
The 28-year-old Moroccan added: "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.”
Hall, who has finished tied-third, fourth and second in her last three events, enters the week in fourth place on the LET Order of Merit and has a strong record in the Middle East.
“It’s my first time here and I’m excited because the golf course is in great shape – the setup is brilliant," Hall said.
"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,” she added.
Michael Wood, Tournament Director & Technical Manager at the LET, said: "We'd like to see this agreement grow from here into something big. Obviously time will tell what kind of progress we make. I think the main thing is to showcase the women's game in collaboration with Qatar Golf Association and Doha Golf Club. We also would like to create a benchmark in the region for women's golf with this event."
Fahad Nasser Al Naimi, General Secretary of the Qatar Golf Association (QGA, said: "I hope we develop this tournament like the Qatar Masters. We started Qatar Masters in 1997 at a small scale but now Qatar Masters has a huge following around the world. We have put in our mind to have more and more golf events in Qatar."
