South African Women’s Open: Can Lee-Anne Pace steal the show at the home course?
Lee-Anne Pace, the South African golfer has announced her participation in the South African Women’s Open, scheduled to take place in July.
This bit of news was received with great excitement by both fans and analysts alike. Each group anticipates a great tournament.
Pace is well known as one of the foremost women golfers with a string of wins to her credit. She is very excited about the event.
In a comment, she said, “I am extremely proud that the South African Women’s Open is back on the schedule and that our leading professionals can once again have the chance to compete against the world’s best on home soil”.
Pace has her fair share of golf on the South African soil. She has taken part in a couple of local tournaments in her amateur days. She was then invited to play in the Ladies European Tour.
She has performed brilliantly in her pro career and has emerged as one of the toughest players to play against in any event.
The question that many fans are asking is whether Pace will be able to take advantage of the home crowd and a course she is intimately familiar with?
Well, her performance so far this year is quite good. She has posted some impressive scores over the last two years and 2012 has been a year that sees her in form.
2010 was the year when Pace outshone most of the professional golfers. She won an amazing
five titles that year.
This was an indication of finer performances to come and she has not disappointed her fans since then.
South African Open is very important for Pace for several reasons, the most important being that it is taking place in her native country, South Africa.
Pace is determined to win the title for her country. In an interview she said, “… And I can guarantee that we will do everything we can to make sure the trophy stays in South Africa”.
Another reason is the golf course itself. South African Open will be played at Selborne Park Golf Club, a course Pace knows very well.
This will be a big advantage for the player as she heads out to play against some of the best women golfers in the world.
The question remains whether Pace could turn this advantage into a win? Home course is usually a two-edged sword for many players.
On one hand, the player appears to hold an enormous advantage that comes with the home course. The player knows how each hole is placed and how to get out of traps and bunkers.
The flip side is the loss of concentration as the player tends to relax and take it easy. This allows other players a small lead that turns into a major lead before they know it. Eventually, this usually spells doom for the local player.
Pace will need all her concentration and skills to perform well in the South African Open. She will play against the top notch players from all over the world.
Both amateurs and pros will be attending the event, which has attracted substantial publicity since the announcement of its return.
Pace is an excellent player who posted nine top-ten finishes in twenty one LET events that she played in. Given Pace’s flair for playing golf, this great performance in 2011 may well be repeated in 2012 events as well.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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