By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Pamela Pretswell is well placed to become the first amateur to win a place on the Ladies European Tour by finishing in the first three of the developmental circuit, the LET Access Series.
The 23-year-old Bothwell Castle GC member from Hamilton, who will play for GB and I against the United States in the June 8-10 Curtis Cup match at Nairn, has played in all five LETAS events since April - paying her own way as an amateur to get to tournaments in France, Spain, Sweden (2) and the Ukraine.
And it is looking more and more like a sound financial investment in her future as a tour golf pro because Pamela, a graduate of Glasgow Universityis lying second in the LETAS Tour Order of Merit with 7,366pt which means that had she been playing as a professional in these events she would have won 7,366 Euros in prizemoney.
Pamela won a LETAS event in Sweden last week and finished second this week at Kiev in the Ukraine.
Having failed narrowly to gain pass marks at the Ladies European Tour Q School at La Manga in January, Pretswell obviously worked out this plan that via the LETAS Tour she could bypass another visit to the Q School.
This will be Pretswell's second Curtis Cup match - she played at Essex County Club two years ago - and almost certainly her last unless things go drastically wrong with her plans to turn pro.
Although a past British women's amateur stroke-play champion, Pretswell has never won the Scottish women's amateur championship.
But she is so single-minded in her quest to make it to the Ladies European Tour (and perhaps the US LPGA Tour after that), that she bypassed last week's native championship at Tain to play in Sweden - and win the LETAS event.
The only Scot in the GB and I squad of eight, she will be entirely focused, however, on the Curtis Cup over the next couple of weeks as the next LETAS event is not until July 4-6 in Norway. After that there will be only four Order of Merit events, one a month, through to early November.
The top six placings are:
1 Marion Ricordeau (France) 13,445pt
2 Pamela Pretswell (Scotland) 7,366
3 Cecile Lundgren (Norway) 6,231
4 Marjet Van Der Graaf (Netherlands) 5,840
4 Marjet Van Der Graaf (Netherlands) 5,840
5 Carly Booth (Scotland) 5,805.
6 Katy McNicoll (Scotland) 5,540.
"It was a great tournament earlier this week - first big golf event to be held in the Ukraine and great to be apart of it," said Pamela.
"The course was fantastic - very, very tough! Warm conditions first few days, but much cooler and lots of wind for the final day which made the course a real challenge!
"I've been away for three weeks now - two weeks in Sweden and straight to Kiev from there. Playing in five events on the LETAS Tour has been great experience for me. I've learned a lot but glad to get home to Scotland for a few days' rest before heading up to Nairn for the Curtis Cup build-up.
"As an amateur on the LETAS Tour I have been well looked after by the other players, almost all of them professionals. They have been showing me the ropes. Everyone is very friendly and I just l love being a part of this tour.
"I've been away for three weeks now - two weeks in Sweden and straight to Kiev from there. Playing in five events on the LETAS Tour has been great experience for me. I've learned a lot but glad to get home to Scotland for a few days' rest before heading up to Nairn for the Curtis Cup build-up.
"As an amateur on the LETAS Tour I have been well looked after by the other players, almost all of them professionals. They have been showing me the ropes. Everyone is very friendly and I just l love being a part of this tour.
"It is expensive going from country to country in Europe for the tournaments as an amateur, but so is playing in amateur events."
