<image="1" align="left" />Australia’s top player on the Ladies European Tour is having a tilt at the Symetra Tour in the United States.
Rebecca Artis, 26, is enjoying one of her best seasons in Europe, sitting 11th on the money list through seven events.
But the woman from Coonabarabran in New South Wales continues to push for an LPGA Tour card, and needs to finish top-10 on the Symetra Tour money list to guarantee her a spot. She was 26th last year.
Artis is playing the Firekeepers Casino Hotel Championship at Battle Creek Country Club in Michigan this week in a cluster of Australians. She also expects to play two more Symetra tournaments over the next few weeks before returning to the LET.
Ranked 131st in the world, she is now fifth among Australians behind Karrie Webb (16), Minjee Lee (20), Nikki Campbell (101) and Katherine Kirk (120).
“I probably haven’t hit it as good as I have in the past, but I have been putting really well,’’ she told the LPGA.com website this week. “I switched my putting at the end of last year to cross handed or left hand low and that has taken a lot of pressure off my long game and I hole a lot more putts now. It has been a big difference.’’
There are eight Australians in the field this week in Michigan, headed by Golf Australia rookie squad member Su Oh, Lauren Hibbert, Breanna Elliott, Julia Boland, Ellen Davies-Graham, Jayde Panos and Emma De Groot, who is the top Australian on the tour in 2015.
“I didn’t just come over here to fill in my schedule, I’ve got high expectations for myself the next three weeks,” said Artis. “I want to have some good finishes and put myself in contention.’’