Lee-Anne Pace, Cheyenne Woods head strong field for SA Women’s Open

Pace will be out to add the SA Women’s Open to her growing list of achievements, the most recent of which was being voted by Compleat Golfer magazine as the 2013 Golfer of the Year.

This marked the first time in South African golf history that the award has been given to a women golfer, and recognised Pace’s three victories on the Ladies European Tour in 2013 as well as her second-place finish on the tour’s Order of Merit and being voted the LET Players’ Player of the Year.

Pace was also named the Women’s Professional Golf Association (WPGA) of South Africa’s Player of the Year.

Defending champion Marianne Skarpnord of Norway has also confirmed her place in the field for South Africa’s premier women’s professional tournament, which is co-sanctioned by the WPGA of South Africa and the Ladies European Tour (LET).

The 72-hole tournament from October 16-19 moves to San Lameer on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast for the first time, with a new title sponsor in Cell C.

“It’s a pleasure for us to be coming back to South Africa for a Cell C South African Women’s Open that since its return to our international schedule has shown incredible growth,” said Ivan Khodabakhsh, chief executive officer of the LET.

“We have such a strong representation of South African professionals on the LET who have all done our Tour proud. I’m pleased that we can bring 70 of our leading international professionals to South Africa to showcase what is a magnificent event.”

With a history dating back to 1988, South Africa’s oldest women’s professional tournament will once again feature the country’s leading professionals competing alongside a strong international contingent as well as 10 South African amateurs.

As the new hosts of the Open, San Lameer Country Club also makes its return to world-class professional golf as a former venue on the men’s Sunshine Tour and once a host of the prestigious South African Masters.

The club has embarked on extensive renovations of the clubhouse.

“It’s an honour for us to host such a historic tournament and be part of the resurgence of women’s professional golf in South Africa. This is such an exciting time for the women’s game, and we consider it a major coup to be the home of the flagship event of the South African women’s game,” said Pine Pienaar, managing director of San Lameer Estate.