22 July 2010: Ladies European Tour star, Kiran Matharu, makes a welcome return to the Faldo Series when she attends this week’s Netherlands Championship, to be played at Goyer Golf and Country Club.
Matharu, a former Curtis Cup player from Leeds, won back-to-back Faldo Series Girls’ titles in 2004 and 2005 and she will be able to re-live those memories when she travels to Holland to take part in a number of “Fun Factory” clinics, supported by the Ryder Cup European Development Trust, and designed to introduce local Dutch youngsters to the rudiments of the game of golf.
She will also be meeting with competitors and passing on tips accrued from over three years competing on the Ladies European Tour.
“It’s going to be great to be back at a Faldo Series event and to help with its efforts to attract more youngsters into the game,” said Matharu who finished tied 17th at the recent Tenerife Ladies Open.
“The Faldo Series, and Sir Nick Faldo himself, played a big part in my development as a golfer and I’m delighted to be able to put something back in this way.”
This week’s inaugural Faldo Series Netherlands Championship has attracted a strong entry of around 125 golfers from six countries, including Belgium, Denmark, Luxemburg, Norway and Russia as well as The Netherlands.
They are all bidding to win a place in the Faldo Series Europe Grand Final to be played at the Lough Erne Resort, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, on September 21-23 where they will tee up against the winners of the other events of the 2010 Faldo Series schedule. They include Curtis Cup reserve, Charlie Douglass, who won the Girls’ event at Royal Ashdown Forest, former Scottish Schools champion, Neil Henderson, Boys’ winner at The Roxburghe, England “A” Squad member, Hugo Dobson, who won the overall prize at Hollinwell and 16 year-olds, Alan Kronfeld and Nina Pegova who left the older competitors in their wake by winning the Boys’ and Girls’ titles at the Faldo Series Russia event in Moscow.
2010 Faldo Series Asia winners, Masamichi Ito from Japan and Thailand’s Thidapa Suwannapura, have also been invited to take part at Lough Erne Resort, the Home of the Faldo Series Europe.
“We are delighted the inaugural Faldo Series Netherlands Championship has attracted such a strong field and look forward to welcoming all the winners to the Lough Erne Resort in September,” said Kerry McDonald, Director of the Faldo Series Europe.
“We would also like to thank Kiran for taking time out of her busy schedule to travel to The Netherlands and attend the event. Kiran is one of a growing number of players who won on the Faldo Series before turning professional and making a name for themselves on Tour and we are delighted to see her again.”
Other former Faldo Series graduates include World No. 7 Rory McIlroy, Scottish World Cup winner Marc Warren, European Tour winner Nick Dougherty, LPGA Major winner Yani Tseng and recent Ladies European Tour champions Melissa Reid and Florentyna Parker.