Not one but two cups of broth have been given to the players at the Wistron Ladies Open, a Ladies European Tour tournament that was supposed to start this Thursday at the Sunrise Golf and Country Club in Taiwan. Bad weather has wiped out the first day. It rained so much that by early Wednesday they had already decided to cancel the first day and shorten the tournament to 54 holes. The wonderful world of typhoons in East Asia. Simply put, the course was unplayable. It wasn’t just that they couldn’t play, they weren’t even allowed to walk it.
In Taiwan, there’s a lot at stake, hence the two cups. It’s the third-to-last tournament of the season. After this, only the Aramco China Championship and the grand finale of the Ladies European Tour, the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España in Guadalhorce, remain. Whatever needs to be done must be done quickly.
Regarding the Spanish players, we have five in Chinese Taipei. Nuria Iturrioz and Luna Sobrón have their cards more than secured for next year. In fact, the former has won this season. Their goal, in this case, is to try to finish the year in the top 10 of the ranking to secure their direct pass to the final stage of the LPGA Tour School. Nuria is in 13th place on the Order of Merit and Luna is 20th.
Of the other three, two are battling to keep their cards. They are María Hernández, who is far from the 70th place that grants the best category for next year, and Ana Peláez, who is within, with the goal on track, but by no means guaranteed. María is 105th in the ranking and Ana is in 63rd place. The top 70 will play whatever they want next year, from 71 to 80 can play a good part of the calendar, and from there the playing options decrease as you fall lower in the ranking.
The fifth Spanish player in Taiwan is Marta Martín. She is in 73rd place on the Order of Merit, but her card is not in any danger because she has another year of exemption due to her victory last year.
Among those not in Taiwan and also with their cards in the air, Blanca Fernández (64) and Marta Sanz (100) stand out. Both have an invitation to play in China. The other five mentioned earlier will also be at the Aramco. Finally, Carmen Alonso will have a medical exemption for next year, as she has barely been able to play this year. The same case applies to Fátima Fernández Cano. Each of them will have a number of tournaments next year to achieve the same number of points or more than the one who finishes in 70th place at the end of the season. Those who have already lost their cards and will have to go through the school are Teresa Toscano, Harang Lee, or Amaia Latorre.
