Van Dam breaks through in Spain

Eight ahead of her nearest rivals on 26-under par!

Anne van Dam had been on the brink of a breakthrough for some months. The long-hitter from Arnhem in the Netherlands had recorded 5 top-four finishes since her maiden Ladies European Tour (LET) title in 2016 when she won the Xiamen International Open in China. Whilst some may have joked that Van Dam was destined for victory in the ‘Estrella Damm Ladies Open’ at Golf Club de Terramar in Spain (20-23 September), no-one could ever have envisaged that she would win with the unbelievable score of 26-under par! Her nearest rivals of Caroline Masson, Caroline Hedwall and amateur Selin Hyun, trailed eight strokes behind in Sitges.

It was against the stunning backdrop of the sparkling Mediterranean sea amid a high-class field featuring a number of LPGA stars that the 22-year old Dutch professional Van Dam played four dream rounds of golf: 64, 64, 65 and 65 for a tally of 258.

Sleeping on a 5-shot cushion

She had slept on a 5-shot cushion before opening with a birdie on the Sunday. From there on she simply cruised to victory with more birdies at 4, 6, 10, 12, 13 as well as the par-3 18th to card another superb round of 6-under par 65 and so seize the trophy in style. There was only one blip on her final scorecard: a bogey at the par 4, 11th where she flew the green with her approach shot. It was only her second bogey of the week.

Anne has been working hard on her game since her first win in China. And that’s now paying dividends. As well as a big boost for her confidence, she picked up a cheque for 45,000 euros for her victory in Spain.

“I think I proved this week that I’m not only a long driver of the ball, but my iron game is good, my wedge game is good, my short game is really good and my putting under pressure is the best it’s ever been.”

– Anne van Dam

Her tremendous victory may well have been overshadowed in the golf news by the FedEx Cup Play-Offs in America that weekend followed by the Ryder Cup in Paris a few days later, but her impressive golf must surely have caught the eye of Solheim Captain Catriona Matthews. With less than a year to go to the next Solheim Cup at Gleneagles, the captain is scouting for up-and-coming new talent for her European Team.

Could Anne van Dam become Holland’s second ever player in the Solheim Cup? If so, she’ll be following in the footsteps of Christel Boeljon who made her debut at Killeen Castle in Ireland in 2011 where she played a key role earning a vital point towards Europe’s historic victory over America.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Just as in a round of golf, let’s focus on one shot at a time; one tournament at a time. Indeed, that was Anne’s game plan this year. So let’s revel together in Anne’s joy. After all, it’s not often that your name is written on a trophy before you’ve even hit your first tee-shot. Enjoy the moment, Anne “Estrella” van Dam!

Wendy Hoad

Nice to know…

Birdie machine: Anne van Dam made 26 birdies, 1 eagle and 2 bogeys on her way to victory in the Estrella Damm Ladies Open – impressive golf or what!

Eagle in Spain: She got off to a flying start in round three at Golf Club de Terramar with an eagle at the first hole – a 503-yard, par 5.

Heading for number one! With this win she climbs to 3rd place in the LET ranking. World Ranking: 109th.

Long-hitter: With drives averaging 284.64 yards this season, Anne currently lies 2nd in the Ladies European Tour driving statistics.

Stats so far this season on Tour: She has made 136 birdies … averaged 30.09 putts per round … and has a stroke average of 70.33.

Early bird: Anne started playing golf at the age of 7 encouraged by her father.