My name is Claire Coughlan-Ryan.
I went to tour school last January with my Husband David on my bag to play in the final stages of the Ladies European Tour , which was four rounds of stroke play. The tournament started for me on the Saturday when i arrived in the La Manga Resort. I practiced on the Saturday afternoon when i arrived at the Course playing nine holes. I played eighteen practice holes on the Sunday and did any final preparation for the tournament ahead.
I like to practice my putting first the reason i do this is if i can get the pace of the greens from the start i can build it back into my short game around the greens.
The tournament started on the Monday morning for me at 11.15 from the first tee. I shot a four round total of level par (292) leaving me in 12th spot with thirty tour cards available. I started my first round with two bogeys as i was nervous and settled after a few pars but a three putt on the 5th put me on three over with sixty seven holes to play. I had two choices stay calm & focused or think too far ahead and give up. From the 6th tee box on i refocused and came back in two under from there to shoot one over par 74 for my first round. I was very happy with this as it was the first round i had a long way to go...
In Round two i continued to keep hitting the fairways and greens. I hit 16 greens which i was very happy with shooting a one under par 72 leaving me in 14th spot after two rounds. You tend to start looking at the score board at this stage to look for what you think the cut after round three is going to be.
My game plan for the last two rounds was to shoot no worse than level par which i did. I must say the last few holes in La Manga were all water holes so you could never relax you needed to focus over every shot. The worse part for me for the four days was trying to stay relaxed and focused , Each round was taking between five and six hours for three balls !! it was unbelievably slow. Where i play my golf at home i'd get two round almost complete for that .
When i completed my 72 holes it was a great feeling a relief to be finished. Tour school is a very hard challenging week ,it test's both your mental side and your patients for the game.
I am looking forward to the 2009 season ahead. The tour has 24 events on the calendar and i hope to play in as many as possible.
Each week the tour will move around Europe.
All the practice i have done with Simon over the past few years is paying off and i hope as a team we go from strength to strength.
All the best.
Claire
Hi everybody. My name is Vikki Laing and after gaining full status through Qualifying School, I will be playing a full season on the Ladies European tour.
There are a few reasons why this upcoming season holds so much excitement for me. Firstly, I will be closer to my family and my coach, Simon Fletcher-- whom I have worked closely with since the 2002 Vagliano Trophy.
After spending almost ten years in America, having them closer and being able to visit my coach throughout the year is something that I will treasure, utilise, and enjoy to its fullest. Secondly, the opportunity to travel to parts of the world I have never been and become immersed in their culture and language, is a unique experience I will relish.
I feel like I am entering a new chapter in my life and in my career, and it will be full of new opportunities to grow. I hope you choose to follow along and support the Ladies European tour!
