The Ladies European Tour (LET) has signed a three-year agreement to keep its Qualifying School at the prestigious La Manga Club resort in Murcia, Spain. The first and second stages of tour school for the 2010 season will be held from December 12-22, 2009, with a prize fund of 7000 Euros. The announcement follows a hugely successful qualifying event at La Manga Club in January, when Sweden�s Anna Nordqvist took the honours by a three-stroke margin. La Manga Club proved to be a true test and Nordqvist went on to claim her first professional victory at the LPGA Championship in June, which was a Major, before being selected as a wild-card pick for the 2009 European Solheim Cup team. The 2009 rookie class has proved particularly strong, with Christel Boeljon steering the Netherlands to a four-stroke victory at the Comunitat Valenciana European Nations Cup in Spain in April. So far this year, a handful of rookies have registered top-five finishes, including Breanne Loucks, from Wales, the runner-up at the Open de Espana Femenino, and England�s Florentyna Parker, who tied for second at the AIB Ladies Irish Open. �Becoming a member of the LET continues to generate widespread interest and we�re delighted to be returning to La Manga Club, a first-class resort which understands the value and benefits that our golfers offer,� said Alexandra Armas, the LET�s executive director.
�The LET continues to make huge strides, adding new tournaments in exciting destinations across the globe and we are all working hard to secure the best possible 2010 schedule for the LET players, fans and partners.� The highly competitive event will see players compete for 30 full playing cards for the 2010 LET season over seven tournament rounds in total. Practice rounds will be scheduled for December 12-13 ahead of the Stage I, to be played over La Manga Club�s North and South courses from December 14-15. After 36 holes, a cut will be made to the leading 70 players and ties. The final round of Stage I will be played on December 16 over the North Course. The leading 50 players will be progress to Stage II, Final Qualifying, to be played over the South Course, with a practice round on December 17. The Final Qualifying stage will be played over four rounds from December 18-21. After three rounds a cut will be made to the leading 50 players and ties. On December 22, amateurs will have the chance to play with the leading 30 qualifiers in a pro-am, each professional playing with three amateurs. Synonymous with golfing excellence for over 35 years, La Manga Club�s three 18-hole championship golf courses offer a year-round sunny climate and high-tech practice facilities, making it the ideal location to stage the qualifying school. La Manga Club�s golfing facilities are world renowned and the resort has been host to many prestigious golfing tournaments including the Spanish Open and Spanish PGA Championships. La Manga Club was named Europe's Leading Golf Resort 2001, 2003 and 2005 and �Spain's Leading Golf Resort 2006� at the World Travel Awards. It was also named World's Leading Sports Resort 2006 and 2007 at the World Travel Awards. Murcia airport is just 30 minutes from La Manga Club and Alicante is around an hour�s drive away. For golfing enthusiasts who would like to be involved with the event, La Manga Club has rooms available. More information and downloads are available via a link on ladieseuropeantour.com. ENDS
Issued by the Azalea Group. For more information or images contact Lee Todd on 08700 330 550 or email lee@theazaleagroup.com
Further Information:
LA MANGA CLUB � www.lamangaclub.com As a result of 37 years of continued investment, innovation and commitment to excellence, which have ensured that it has remained at the forefront of the sector, La Manga Club is widely recognised as Spain�s flagship resort and as one of the finest in the world. Evidence of this is provided by its numerous World Travel Award nominations and prizes, such as the World�s Leading Sports Resort (top 5, 2006 and 2007), Spain�s Leading Golf Resort (winner, 2006), Europe�s Leading Golf Resort (winner, 2001, 2003 and 2005), and Europe�s Leading Conference Hotel (winner, 2003). In addition, the hotel obtained the prestigious Q for Quality certification in 2002. La Manga Club is a spectacular resort located in the Murcia region of south-east Spain. Set out over an area of some 560 hectares (approx. 1,400 acres), it offers visitors a five-star hotel, luxury vacation apartments and 450 hectares of sports facilities, highlights of which include its three 18-hole golf courses, 28 tennis courts and its eight-pitch professional football centre, which also offers facilities for cricket, rugby and Gaelic football. The resort is also home to innumerable leisure facilities, such as the 2000m2 Spa La Manga Club with its 13 luxurious treatment rooms, comprehensive fitness centre and 25m indoor swimming pool; meeting, banqueting and incentive facilities, and more than 20 restaurants and bars. La Manga Club is located in a unique setting amid the rolling hills that separate the crystalline Mediterranean from the warm waters of the Mar Menor Sea in Murcia, southern Spain. Lying to the south of the Costa Blanca, this region is known as the Costa C�lida, or 'warm coast', thanks to its mild, year-round Mediterranean climate. Between two seas Discover the two seas that bathe the Region�s coastline. The Mediterranean is a warm sea, dotted with coves and fine sandy beaches, which offers unforgettable diving both because of the clarity of its waters and because of the exuberance of the marine life that thrives there. The Mar Menor is the ideal setting for water sports such as windsurfing, kitesurfing, sailing, canoeing or jet-skiing. The absence of large waves makes this lagoon into an unbeatable ally when it comes to harnessing the winds. Suitable for all levels. Whatever the time of year, there are more than 30 water sport schools along the coast. Here the sun is always shining. www.murciaturistica.es