Bright future for women's game

Dubai: Want to see where women's golf is headed? Then click on the link that says 2009 Tour on the Ladies European Tour (LET) website. It bares a page with the entire 2009 calendar and nearly all of the tournaments mentioned therein have a link that'll give you an insight into that showcase — leaderboard, scores, prize money, etc.

It's an awful lot of information to digest, but if you choose to focus on the names of the winners, you're sure to find a dozen names who won for the first time in 2009.

It is the best measure with which to gauge the future success of the women's game, especially that of the 24-stop Ladies European Tour.

More evidence of the future potency of the LET can be seen in the number of different nationalities that have entered the winners' circle: Sweden, Australia, England, the Netherlands, Norway, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, Wales, Scotland, Austria and South Korea were all represented at one time or another this season. The fact that eight of the tournaments were decided on the basis of play-offs should also speak volumes about the level of competition that is on offer.

Cynics expected the LET to be the poorer following the departure of Sweden's Annika Sorenstam last season, but this season's results undermine that idea.

American pin-up Michelle Wie, who is playing in Dubai for the first time, agreed that "the strength of the women's game lies in its diversity".

"There are so many countries represented and I think that's so awesome. I think it's cool that golf is being introduced in so many countries. There are players on tour that have made it popular and it's amazing," she said.

Sweden's Anna Nord-qvist, who is red hot for the Ryder Cup Wales Rookie of the Year title, is one of the women to have stormed the golfing world. She won the LPGA Championship in only her fifth start and many feel she could be the next Sorenstam.

Meanwhile, LET Order of Merit leader Sophie Gustafson, chasing a fourth title, said tournaments like the Dubai Ladies Masters, which attract interest from all corners of the world, are crucial in improving the quality of the game.

"I think the Dubai Ladies Masters is a great event because it brings together so many good players and with such a strong field on show it is fun to play here," Gustafson said..

With such a top-class, multinational, multicultural field vying for the prize it's easy to see a bright future for the women's game.