Out of fourteen domestic female golfers, three female professionals took part in a media meeting before the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open. They indicated their highest ambitions for the upcoming Ladies European Tour tournament.
“Of course, you want to succeed in front of your home crowd. I love the course, and I used to visit my grandmother in my childhood, so it’s a matter of the heart for me,” said Klara Davidson Spilkova, currently 49th in the European Ranking, about the Royal Beroun Golf Club, where the three-round tournament with prize money of €300,000 is being played from Friday, June 21 to Sunday, June 23.
“I embrace all the challenges this course presents. I don’t single out any hole that I’m afraid of or that I don’t like. I am eagerly anticipating the tournament and my aim is clear-to emerge as the victor,” added Sara Kousková, her determination palpable.
Both players are on the brink of securing their place in the final Olympic nomination, a crucial step in their journey. The Czech Republic is guaranteed two spots among the 60 participants for Paris in August, where only the United States will be represented by not two but three golfers.
Davidson Spilkova is 41st in the Olympic rankings, and Sara Kouskova is 54th. “I’m trying not to think about Paris, to focus on the upcoming tournament, and I’ll look at the qualifying rankings when they are final,” said Kousková, otherwise the highest-ranked Czech player in this year’s European Order of Merit, at No. 35.
“I’ve had a fairly lively six months. At the beginning of the season, I was working on changes with the Australian coach. Still, it didn’t work out, so now I’m working with Eva Kozeluhova,” said Kristýna Napoleaová, who hasn’t yet followed up on her Amundi German Masters win from a year ago. She is 105th in this year’s European ranking.
Jana Melichova still needs to book her Olympic prospects fully. Last year’s Tipsport Czech Ladies Open winner skipped two previous LET tournaments to make her start in Beroun, where she won two years ago as an amateur. “I’m not sure if my points will be enough for the Olympics, but I’ll keep fighting,” said Melichová, battling a sudden fever at the start of this tournament week.
Tournament promoter Luboš Koželuh of Premier Sports stressed the importance of the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open for the Olympic nomination, Czech golf, and the Beroun club as a whole.
“Every year, we are always one step further. I want to thank Tipsport, the home club, and the Czech Golf Federation for their partnership. With O2 TV Sport, we are again planning a series of live broadcasts focusing on domestic players, and there will be another hole, the five-hole par seven, where a lot of scoring will take place,” said the promoter.
For the first time, the Czech Golf Federation is the official partner of the European Tournament of the highest series. “We are glad that we can support the ever-better Czech women’s golf, which is booming. Two places for the Olympic Games is a dream come true,” said Vratislav Janda, President of the Czech Golf Federation.
“We are pleased that our club is hosting such an important tournament as the Ladies European Tour for the fifth year in a row. We always try to prepare the course in optimal condition, and I believe the players will be satisfied as in previous years,” added Vojtěch Matějček, President of the Royal Golf Club Beroun.
“I can say that the head greenkeeper Martin Sindler’s team did an excellent job as always and that the course is in the best possible condition after the challenging effect of the volatile winter weather,” joined tournament director Joao Pinto.
And how is the golf betting with the title partner, Tipsport? “Golf’s popularity with bettors is growing steadily and is already surpassing other sports,” said Vaclav Sochor, Tipsport’s head of communications.
He also presented the first betting odds for the tournament. The most favored home player is Klára Davidson Spilková, whose first place among the Czech players is at odds of 3:1. Among the foreign participants, the bookmakers are most confident in the victory of the Belgian Manon De Roey and the Swede Johanna Gustavsson. Tipsport will continuously update and add betting opportunities.
Tickets for the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open are available at Ticketportal.cz.
O2 TV Sport, a partner of the Ladies European Tour, will broadcast live coverage on Friday, June 21, from 14:00 to 18:00, Saturday, June 22, from 10:00 to 14:00, and Sunday, June 23, from 11:00 to 16:00.