England’s Lauren Taylor will make her professional debut at this week’s Ladies Norwegian Challenge at Hauger Golf Club in Oslo, starting on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old from Rugby recently decided not to continue with her US college scholarship at Baylor University and had planned to play the remainder of the LET Access Series season as an amateur.
However, after winning the Norrporten Ladies Open in Sweden on the Access Series two weeks ago, she decided the time was right to turn pro, with the aim to qualify for next season’s Ladies European Tour.
Taylor said: “I was going to stay amateur until Tour School but I thought there’s no point, because I’m only playing in pro events for the remainder of the year. Last week’s Home Internationals were my last event as an amateur and I’m looking forward to playing as a pro.”
Taylor, the 2011 Ladies British Amateur Champion at Portrush, was a star of the amateur game and in May, won the Big 12 Women’s Golf Championship individual title in the United States by eight shots.
She continued: “I left college because I didn’t want to stay amateur for another three to four years and I feel I’m playing well. I felt like the time was right.”
The Woburn-based player recognised the contribution of her coach, Andy Dunbar, sports psychologist Dan Abrahams and her parents.“My parents are very supportive of my decision to leave Baylor and everyone has been very supportive. My parents have done a lot for me so I hope to give something back.”
With five events remaining on the 2013 Access Series, the race for qualification to the LET is heating up. LETAS offers membership of the Ladies European Tour to the top five players on the 2013 Ranking, while players in sixth to 20th positions will have the opportunity to progress to the final stage of Lalla Aicha Tour School for 2014.
Taylor is now ranked 23rd on the Ranking, 12,134 points behind top ranked Spanish player Mireia Prat. Both players will tee up in the Ladies Norwegian Challenge, taking place from September 18-20.
There are representatives from 20 countries in the field of 96 competitors. Among the notables, Australian Stacey Keating will be warming up to defend her second LET title at the following week’s Lacoste Ladies Open de France.