Shannon Sweeps to Magical Maiden LET Success

Vipingo Ridge, Kenya: Teenager Shannon Tan created history at the 2024 Magical Kenya Ladies Open becoming the first Singaporean to win on the Ladies European Tour (LET).

On her maiden appearance as a professional on the LET, Tan fired a closing three-under-par 70 to seal a four-shot victory from Italian Alessandra Fanali with a total of 12-under at Vipingo Ridge.

A member of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation team in last year’s Solheim Cup-style Patsy Hankins Trophy against the European Golf Association in Spain, 19-year-old Tan secured her full LET card at Lalla Aicha Q-School in December while still an amateur.

It’s the second professional victory for Tan, who won the China LPGA Tour’s Singapore Ladies Masters at Laguna National Golf Resort Club last July.

Of her decision to cut short her time at Texas Tech University in the United States, where she was on a sports scholarship, Tan said: “It was a tough decision to begin with but I’m glad I made it now!”

Tan, who claimed the first prize of €45,000 in the €300,000 event, said she hoped her success would give belief to young golfers in Singapore.

She said: “It’s a good thing because juniors back home know it’s possible and that anything is possible, and it can push them a little bit and inspire them.

“I will go into every event with the same mindset and target and try to do my best and just control the controllables. I can’t control what other people do, only what I can do. I will just try to stick to my gameplan throughout the season.”

Tan, who started the final day in a share of the lead alongside Fanali on nine-under-par, rolled in birdies on holes two, three and five to put herself in pole position before dropping a shot on the sixth.

However, she made another birdie on seven before making a bogey on the eighth. Her final birdie came on 11.

Tan, who was individual runner-up in the 2022 Queen Sirikit Cup in her home country, said: “It was quite close between us until hole 16. There was only one or two shots difference the whole time. It was a good battle she gave me.

“I stuck to my gameplan throughout. I just tried to hit every fairway and every green – that was my gameplan throughout the day and that’s how it stayed.”

Singapore Golf Association President Tan Chong Huat congratulated Tan on what he described as a ‘remarkable achievement’.

“Her triumph marks a significant milestone for Singapore golf. The golf community is immensely proud of her achievement and we look forward to witnessing her continued success on the international stage,” said Tan.

Lyn Yeo, the former Singapore Ladies Golf Association President and Founder of the Singapore Ladies Masters and Singapore Junior Development Tour, watched Tan’s success on television.

“I have no words except to say ‘thank you, Shannon’, for making dreams come true,” said Yeo, a long-time mentor to Tan.

At Vipingo Ridge, Tan’s Patsy Hankins Trophy team-mate Avani Prashanth found the going tough.

Arriving in Kenya from the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific in Thailand, where she tied for 10th, the Indian struggled to adapt to conditions. With rounds of 81 and 78 she missed the half-way cut which fell at seven-over 153.