Sarah Jane Smith has had the best season of her 10-year career on the LPGA Tour this year, she speaks below about what it means to her to play for ALPG and her country at the upcoming Queens Cup by Kowa
Congratulations on making the ALPG team, what does it mean to play for your country and your home tour?
It`s such an honor to play for Australia, it`s something that hasn`t been an option as a professional for years so it`s incredibly exciting.
Most of the ALPG team know each other very well, who will be the joker of the team this year?
Last year Lindsey Wright definitely owned that title but I think Sarah Kemp will keep us all laughing this year.
Obviously ALPG captain Rachel Hetherington is a legend of Australian Golf, her record speaks for itself. It has been well documented that Rachel as the underdog defeated the great Annika Sorenstam in three play-offs on the LPGA Tour. what do you think can she bring to the team who will be underdogs in 2016?
Rachel has years of experience as one of the best players in the world and is someone that is incredibly warm and approachable. She has all the tools to get the best out of our team which may not be the strongest on paper but will give everything they have.
What are you looking forward to the most at The Queens Cup?
The Queens Cup was one of my favorite events I`ve played as a professional. To be a part of team Australia was an incredible experience.
It`s the only time we play match play all year and then getting to play Foursomes and Fourball is such a fun change from our normal individual golf.
You played some fantastic golf last year at the Queens Cup, what did you enjoy the most about the week?
Despite being the coldest I`ve ever been, The Queens Cup was the most fun I`ve had at any event. I loved every part of the week and felt that playing as part of a team brought my best golf out. I can`t wait for another year!
About The Queens presented by Kowa
The Queens Cup presented by Kowa is a unique match play tournament featuring four teams of nine players, including a playing captain, from the Ladies European Tour, Ladies Professional Golfers’ Association of Japan, Ladies Korean LPGA and Australian Professional Golf Inc.
The tournament will take place at Miyoshi Country Club near Nagoya, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
A total of 32 matches will be played over three days: eight fourball matches on day one, eight foursomes matches on day two and 16 singles matches on day three.
Scoring is done via a points system, with each match being worth 3 points to the winning team. If a match ends all square after 18 holes, 1 point is awarded to each team.
On completion of the first 2 days, the leading two teams will contest the \"Championship Final\" on Sunday 4th December, while the other 2 teams will contest the \"Third Place Final\"
Prize Money:
Winning Team : 45,000,000 yen ( 5,000,000 yen per person x 9 Players)
Runner-up: 27,000,000 yen (3,000,000 yen per person x 9 Players)
3rd Place: 18,000,000 yen (2,000,000 yen per person x 9 Players)
4th Place: 9,000,000 yen (1,000,000 yen per person x 9 Players)
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