Current European No.1 Lee-Anne Pace will begin her 2011 Ladies European Tour season at the ISPS Handa Women&aposs Australian Open in Melbourne. Pace, who became the first ever South African to be crowned as the women’s European No.1 by winning the Ladies European Tour s Henderson Money List, will play at Commonwealth Golf Club from February 3-6. In winning the Henderson Money List, Pace received a ten year exemption to the Ladies European Tour after topping the list with season s earnings of 339,517.77 from 25 events. Pace set herself apart from her peers in 2010 with her five tournament victories in five months, from June to October. Five years after turning professional, she finally broke her duck winning her first LET event at the Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open. Once shead tasted winning she was unstoppable and won the S4C Wales Ladies Championship of Europe, the Finnair Masters, the Sanya Ladies Open and the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open in China. She also won the 2010 Players Player of the Year Award as voted for by her peers and she said: It’s absolutely amazing. I am very happy. I ve got so many messages and I think Facebook is overloading so it s great. Five wins is much more than I expected from me. I really wanted to start off winning in the year, and then to get close to the Henderson Money List in the middle of the year just spurred me on a little bit more. To have a different goal in mind and then to do it is an amazing feeling. This tops all the wins. A definite highlight was China, coming back from China and winning twice back to back: that was very important. It was nice to be able to do it when I had to. Pace received several messages of congratulations including from Gary Player, who said: I wish she was my daughter. She’s a darling, darling girl and I hope that she has got the passion because ladies golf needs her; in South Africa particularly. It’s just an encouraging thing for me. Ernie Els sent a message of congratulations: Just because the paths of the men&aposs and ladies tours rarely cross, doesn&apost mean to say that us men folk don&apost know what&aposs happening on your fairways. It gives me great pleasure to acknowledge your achievements this year and to send big congratulations from South Africa on winning the LET&aposs Henderson Money List and Player of the Year titles. To be acclaimed by your peers is the ultimate compliment and you have thoroughly deserved it. She will focus on winning a Major in 2011. I want to go and really work hard for a Major. Next year I think I&aposm very capable of doing it. If I win five tournaments, I think it&aposs possible to do that.