World Cup places up for grabs at Telkom Women’s Classic

As the Ladies African Tour winds down this week the focus for the South African players will be a place on the 2008 Women’s World Cup of Golf team.

Ashleigh Simon and Lee-Anne Pace are the frontrunners in this hotly contested chase. But a big performance in this week’s tour-ending Telkom Women’s Classic at Benoni Lakes Golf Club from either Stacy Bregman, Laurette Maritz or Kelli Shean could catapult them into serious contention.

Selection for the team is based largely on the players’ performances on the Ladies African Tour and their standing on international Order of Merits on the Ladies European Tour and LPGA Tour.

Amateurs such as Simon compete for a place on the team via a points standing on the Ladies African Tour.

Simon leads the way on the points standings, lying second on 187.50, a point-and-a-half shy of Denmark’s Julie Tvede.

Bregman is next best in fourth on 166.67 points. Pace follows closely behind in fifth on 163 points, with Shean sixth on 151 points. Maritz is far off the pace in this category, placed 13^th on 92 points.

But the professionals will be focused on the money list. Pace has the edge here and is second on the money list with earnings of R56 104. She’s followed closely by Bregman on R53 938. Maritz is seventh with R33 012.

After capturing her second Acer Women’s SA Open title last week, Simon looks certain to claim her place in the Women’s world Cup of Golf team.

But her partner in 2008 is still debatable and will depend largely on this week’s event.

The Telkom Women’s Classic is the last of four events on the Ladies African Tour with a purse of R220 000.

Maritz, who is aiming to make the Women’s World Cup of Golf team for the fourth time, is the defending champion after winning last year at Zwartkop Country Club.

The veteran birdied her final two holes for a two-stroke victory over Sweden’s Antonella Cvitan, while South African Mandy Adamson and Spaniard Carmen Alonso shared third.

Tvede, who has finished second twice on the Tour at the Pam Golding Ladies International and the WPGA Masters, will be looking to win both the money list and the points standings when she tees it up on the par-72 East Rand layout.