Amy Yang, a previously unheralded 16-year-old South Korean amateur living on the Gold Coast, won at Royal Pines in a one-hole play-off against US player Catherine Cartwright in February. Yang became the youngest ever winner on the Ladies European Tour at the age of 16 years and 191 days and was also the first amateur to win on the Tour in 22 years.
She continued to impress with appearances at the Evian Masters and the Weetabix Women’s British Open, before finally turning professional in October.
Due to being below the 18 years of age usually required for membership, Yang was granted a special exemption from the LET and, on her profes-ional debut in the Dubai Ladies Masters, tied for fourth place in a quality field.
The second first time winner of the season was Finland’s Riikka Hakkarainen, who came from a shot behind to defeat Spanish rookie Tania Elose-gui in the Tenerife Ladies Open at Abama GC in April. New Zealander Lynn Brooky claimed the Spanish Open, winning for the first time in three years at Panorámica GC in Castellon in May. The Kiwi, who set a course record 65 in the third round, defeated the up-and-coming Nocera, who settled for her fourth second place finish in 14 months.
However Nocera compensated by winning the Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open a week later when she became the Tour’s third first time cham-pion. It was to be the first of her three victories in 2006. She also took the BMW Ladies Italian Open at Sheraton Parco de’ Medici in Rome in June and then the Catalonia Ladies Masters played at Golf Club D’Aro near Girona, in July.
Nocera topped the New Star Money List for much of the season, until Davies overtook her at the Wales Ladies Championship, in August. In the mean time, Davies was forced into second again when Italy’s Veronica Zorzi successfully defended her French Open title at Le Golf D’Arras in May.
Stephanie Arricau claimed her third LET title in June at the KLM Open in Holland, which had moved to the Harry Colt designed Eindhoven-sche Golf. It was the first of her two victories in 2006. She also won the Estoril Ladies Open of Portugal three weeks later, overcoming gale force winds at the cliff-top Quinta da Marinha Oitavas Golfe.
Arricau, who interestingly also won twice in three weeks in 2004, gave a masterful display of putting on her final nine holes, which she played in just 29 strokes.
