SMS Chairman Funds £7500 Scholarship for Ladies European Tour Player

Female professional golfers received a boost today as the chairman of the renowned marketing company Sports Marketing Surveys announced a £7,500 scholarship for Ladies European Tour (LET) players.

The scholarship, which is funded by SMS chairman Stephen Proctor, is intended to cover travel and other expenses in order to help the award winner gain a place on the LPGA Tour.

In order to be eligible for the money, candidates must be members of the LET – but not yet the LPGA Tour – and taking part in the Rose Ladies Series of women’s professional golf competitions being played in England this summer. 

The award winner will be selected through a combination of performance and need by a panel comprising Proctor, ex European Tour CEO Ken Schofield and another member who is as yet unconfirmed. Assessment will be carried out throughout the Rose Series, with the winner being announced shortly after the final event.

(2019's LET Order of Merit Winner Esther Henseleit)

The Rose Ladies Series comprises eight competitions, which are sponsored and organised by the Olympic gold medallist and ex US Open champion Justin Rose and his wife Kate and intended to help provide a platform for female professionals to get back to work amidst the coronavirus pandemic. 

Over £70,000 in prize money is up for grabs in the events, half contributed by Rose and half by the Series’ sponsor American Golf, while venues include next year’s Open course Royal St George’s, which hosts the third event in the series this week.

The Rose Series is one of several one-off tours established to combat the impact of Covid-19 on struggling professionals. For example, the Tartan Pro Tour was recently set up to support developing Scottish players by ex Open Champion Paul Lawrie.

Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography