Isabelle Boineau, champion of the 2017 edition - Photo: DR

Single tournament in 2016, triple objective in 2018

“First ever dual-ranking tournament”… In English in the text, this is how the world of European women's golf must now qualify the Jabra Ladies Open, the first “double badge” tournament in its history since it will count at the same time for the European Women's Tour (LET) and for the LET Access Series (LETAS), the second division circuit. Played from the outset on the Evian Golf Resort course in Haute-Savoie, the “Jabra” was in 2016 a simple independent tournament, won for its first edition by the French Valentine Derrey. In 2017, first big evolution with a brand new official stage status of the LET Access Series. At the same time, the event served for the first time as a European Qualifier for The Evian Championship, a Major contested on the same Evian course later in the summer. For this second edition of 2017, it is another Frenchwoman, Isabelle Boineau, winner of the tournament, and the Swedish Johanna Gustavsson, her runner-up, who benefited from the two prestigious tickets at stake for "The Evian".

British Open and Évian Championship at stake

In 2018, beyond the new double LET-LETAS status, the jackpot will be much bigger. Still two tickets awarded to the first two to compete in the Evian Championship in September but, in addition, the winner will be invited to the Ricoh Women's British Open in early August at the Royal Lytham & Saint Annes. At stake: the two Majors which are played at the end of summer on European soil! More classic, but not negligible: the victory in this tournament now classified LET will give the lucky winner a full year of exemption in 2019 on the Tour. For the young LETAS players (or for the old players scrapping on this promotion circuit for voluntary or involuntary reasons), this is an opportunity like no other. With the prospect of mounting a sacred walk all at once. All the more feasible since in the field of 132 players (according to the Entry List of the official LET website on May 29), an almost equivalent place has been reserved for LET players and LETAS players.

Photo: DR

An endowment of 120 €… half LET half LETAS

On the endowment side, with a total grant of € 120, we also find ourselves halfway between the first and second European women's divisions ... In 000, Jabra (a subsidiary company of the large Danish group Great Nordic -GN- and which is specialized in headsets and innovative “hands-free” communication systems) offered an allocation of € 2017. Which was the highest benchmark for a LETAS tournament. This year, the € 50 is of course a very good progression for the players. While remaining well below what is offered for the more established tournaments of LET. Because with the exception of the Scottish Open (July 000), out of category since it has become a kind of "pre-British Open" and attracts some of the best in the world with its 120 dollars, the current endowments of the stages of the LET are more in the range of € 000 (Lacoste Ladies Open de France) to € 26 (Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco).

A total of 27 French women on Thursday on the tee

But well beyond Prize Money, it's the automatic qualification for nothing less than two Majors and the one-year exemption on the LET that will motivate the girls. And in particular the French women from both circuits, with no less than 27 representatives at the start this Thursday May 31 in Evian. On the entry list is Manon Molle, the best Blue in the Order of Merit of the LET (45th) in the absence of Céline Boutier (4th in the European ranking but who is playing on the LPGA Tour at the moment). Also to be continued: Sophie Giquel-Bettan, Anne-Lise Caudal, Valentine Derrey, Isabelle Boineau, Camille Chevalier, Agathe Sauzon, Lucie andré, Inès Lescudier, Manon Gidali, Mathilda Cappeliez, Astrid Vayson de Pradenne, Marie Fourquier, Emilie Alonso, Julie Aimé, Anaïs Meysonnier, Emilie Piquot, Emie Perronin, Agathe Laisné, Gala Dumez, Charlotte Bunel, Mathilde Claisse, Elisabeth Codet, Charlotte Liautier, Lilas Pinthier and Marion Benzekri. Special mention, finally, for Ariane Provot, current best French in the ranking of LETAS (11th) and who often shone during the European Qualification of the Evian Championship: 1st in 2014 and 3rd in 2016. It was before the “ qualif ”in Évian is not to be confused with a very attractive Jabra Ladies Open because it has become the first“ double-badged ”tournament of the European women's circuit!

The 2018 season on LET

Order of Merit as of May 30 - 1. Jenny Haglund (SUE); 2. Sarah Kemp (AUS); 3. Klara Spilkova (RTC); 4. Céline Boutier (FRA); 5. Karolin Lampert (ALL)… 45. Manon Molle; 51. Isabelle Boineau; 52 Justine Dreher; 68. Valentine Derrey.

Tournaments from February to May. Oates Victorian Open, AUS (1/02): 1. Minjee Lee (AUS)… 30. Isabelle Boineau; 53. Agathe Sauzon. Canberra Classic, AUS (9/01): 1. Jiyai Shin (CDS)… 15. Manon Molle; 46. ​​Inès Lescudier. Bonville Classic, AUS (22/02): 1. Céline Boutier (FRA)… 22. Manon Molle; 27. Isabelle Boineau. New South Wales Open, AUS (1/03): 1. Meghan Maclaren (ANG)… 21. Manon Molle; 27. Justine Dreher. South Africa Open, AFS (8/03): 1. Ashleig Buhai (AFS)… 14. Emie Perronin; 21. Manon Molle. Lalla Meryem Cup, MAR (19/04): 1. Jenny Haglund (SUE)… 22. Justine Dreher; 28. Jade Schaeffer-Calmels.

The 2018 season on LETAS

Order of Merit as of May 30.- 1. Noemi Jimenez (ESP); 2. Emma Nilsson (SUE); 3. Marita Engzelius (NOR), 4. Chloé Leurquin (BEL) and Elia Folch (ESP)… 11. Ariane Provot; 22. Manon Gidali and Astrid Vayson de Pradenne.

Tournaments from April to May.- Terre Blanche Ladies Open, FRA (6/04): 1. Marita Engzelius (NOR)… 8. Astrid Vayson from Pradenne and Manon Gidali. VP Bank Ladies Open Gams, SUI (4/05): 1. Noemi Jimenez (ESP)… 5. Ariane Provot; 17. Marie Fourquier.