England’s Bronte Law cracked the top five on this week’s release of the official European Solheim Cup world rankings list . . . and then she didn’t.
With her terrific Sunday charge at the Mediheal Championship, where she nearly won after coming from 10 shots back in the final round to get into a playoff, Law moved up to No. 4 on the European Solheim Cup world rankings list, which was published and distributed on Tuesday. She climbed ahead of Pernilla Lindberg, Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Caroline Masson.
It was a big deal, because the top five at the end of qualifying in August will earn spots on the European team.
It wasn’t as big a deal Friday, when Law’s name was removed from the European qualifying lists.
While Law looks more worthy than ever to be on the team, it will have to be as a captain’s pick. The Ladies European Tour corrected its distribution on Friday, removing Law’s name from the standings. She won’t be eligible to earn an automatic qualifying spot because she won’t meet the LET’s eight-start minimum to qualify to make the team. A European player has had two years to meet that requirement.
Law told GolfChannel.com Friday that she knew at year’s start she wouldn’t become eligible to earn her way on the European team. She said she went to LET’s Q-School late last year to earn tour membership with the sole intention of becoming eligible to be a captain’s pick. As a tour member now, she is eligible to be one of Catriona Matthew’s four captain’s picks.
“I knew all along I was going to have to be a pick,” Law said. “There aren’t enough events for me to qualify, because they won’t allow me to count the three LET events that I played in last year, because I wasn’t a tour member then. There was no way I was going to be able to play in eight events this year. I would have had to sacrifice playing certain LPGA events, to play European Tour events instead. I would have had to play solely on the LET.”
Law is a full-time LPGA player who has yet to make an LET start this year. There are now just six LET events remaining before the European team is set. Law plans to play three LET events this summer: the Evian Championship, the AIG Women’s British Open and the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open. If her three starts last year had counted toward the eight-start requirement, Law would only have needed to add two more LET events to the schedule she planned this year.
“I would have liked to have seen that,” Law said. “If those events last year had counted, I would have been inclined to try to play two more European Tour events this year, but I understand. You want to keep that rule, so players will come back to play LET events they wouldn’t be playing, based on the money available on the LPGA versus the LET.”
As an amateur, Law distinguished herself in match play. Three years ago, she became the first player from Great Britain and Ireland to go 5-0 in the Curtis Cup. She helped England make a hard run at nearly upsetting the South Koreans at the UL International Crown last fall.
Law’s name has been appearing on the weekly European Solheim Cup points lists all year, with her name touted as a potential automatic qualifier through the first four months of the season.
“I was surprised seeing that,” Law said. “Obviously, whoever was controlling social media on the European side wasn’t aware.”
No matter, Law, 24, is on track to make it easy on Matthew to pick her. The bold charge the UCLA graduate made in San Francisco on Sunday did more than raise her American profile. It elevated the third-year LPGA member’s already formidable confidence as she seeks to win her first tour title.
“It just proved the belief I have in myself is valid, and I’m good enough to go win out here,” Law said. “My job is to continue to put in the work I’ve been doing and just trust the process.”
Source: Internet
