Dubai
There is a lot more at stake at the Omega Dubai Ladies Classic for French newcomer Camille Chevalier as she hopes to put the finishing touches to her debut year on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
Should the talented 23-year-old from Marseille, France, secure a top ten finish at the Emirates Golf Club on Saturday, she will pick up the coveted LET Rookie of the Year.
However, despite having amassed €62,985 (Dh273,347) from eight tournaments this year, any of the other rookies in 108-strong field could steal the honour from under her nose should they clinch a victory in Dubai as the first prize is worth a whopping €63,246.
Both second-ranked rookie Jenny Haglund from Sweden or Spaniard Luna Sobron, ranked third in the rookie race with €28,163 in season’s earnings, could mathematically overtake Chevalier with a runners-up finish, worth €37,949.
Debut season:
Chevalier is focused on putting the icing on the cake in her debut season.
“I am very motivated, because I will be playing against great players and I want to figure well in the tournament,” she said. “A win would be awesome. If not, a top 10 will be OK. I came here to win. If you don’t come to win, then why do you come?”
First impressions:
Commenting on her first impressions of the Emirates Golf Club and Dubai she said: “I think this is a very impressive sight, because of the view from the golf course.
“It’s the first time I have been here and with all the buildings around, it looks like a movie set. It doesn’t look real, so I think it’s really cool. I think the course is beautiful and the greens are different from what I thought. They are very grainy and they were not fast in the practice round, but I think they will be faster in the tournament. I’m excited to play because the organisation is great and there are so many great players.
