Defending champion Emma Nilsson will be the event favorite ahead of the Belfius Ladies Open, played at the magnificent Cleydael Golf & Country Club, June 27-29 this week.

Emma Nilsson on the front page of the Belfius Ladies Open

Emma Nilsson - © LETAS

Nilsson won the title last year with a 3-stroke lead over the French Julie Aime and Manon Molle (-5), the Swede hopes to show the same form which earned her to finish at the top of the LETAS standings at the end of the 2018 season.

The 25-year-old is excited about the opportunity to defend her title and knows what it will take to perform well on the Cleydael course

“It will be a very fun week to defend the title. It's obviously a new course, but I'll do my best. I really like the course and I think it is perfect. I played in the pro-am yesterday and yes there are some tough holes but it's a great course. You have to hit the fairway first and then putt well. It's not that hilly on the greens so if you can putt a good putt it will be a low score ”, commented Nilsson.

There is a strong Belgian contingent, with Manon de Roey at the top of the ranking, who currently occupies 19th place in the LETAS ranking and 49th in the LETAS order of merit. De Roey is also a former LETAS winner, winning the 2018 WPGA International Challenge at the Stoke by Nayland Hotel Golf & Spa. Fanny Cnops will also be a player to watch, having won the Lavaux Women's Championship for the first time last year.

Clarisse Louis will lead the way as the top ranked amateur, currently 52nd in the World Amateur Ranking (WAGR). The Belgian finished 42nd in the 2018 Belfius Ladies Open and will look to improve this year.

Germany's Greta Isabella Voelker is having a great rookie season as a professional and is LETAS 'best player in this area. The 21-year-old, from Witten, is currently 3rd in the LETAS rankings and one of the first eight-time winners on tour this year.

One hundred and nine players from 23 different countries will compete for the title and valuable classification points for the season which ends with the final at Road To La Largue in October. At the end of the year, the 5 best players in the LETAS ranking, not otherwise exempted, will benefit from an exemption from the Ladies European Tour, the next 15 players qualifying directly for the last stage of the LETAS Tour School.

To consult the leaderboard: click here

To know more : http://www.afgolf.be/belfius-ladies-open/