Helen Briem wins an LET event in France
09 Jun 2024
by Amit Pandey of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Helen Briem Rankings
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Helen Briem (LET Photo)
18-year-old
Helen Briem of Germany, who is ranked No. 27 on the
Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com Women's Rankings, shot 70-70-69 to win the Mountaban Ladies Open, a pro event on the LET Access Series in France.
Briem’s score of 7-under was just enough to edge out Tiffany Arafi of Switzerland, who posted rounds of 70-69-71 to register a runner-up finish at 6-under.
Briem entered the final round T4 at 4-under, three strokes behind Australia's Kelsey Bennett, who led at 7-under. Briem began strong, birdieing the first hole. She added two more birdies and two bogeys on the front nine, finishing with a 1-under 36, which matched Bennett's score and kept her three strokes behind.
On the back nine, Briem stayed focused while Bennett began to falter. Bennett bogeyed the 10th hole, double-bogeyed the 12th, and finished with a bogey on her final hole, recording a round of 2-over 74. In contrast, Briem secured the victory with two birdies on the back nine, finishing with a 3-under 69 for her first professional win as an amateur.
Tiffany Arafi of Switzerland made a determined effort to chase down Briem for the title, but despite her best efforts, her struggles on the back nine left her one shot short of victory.
The 2023 R&A Girls Amateur Champion, Briem, now joins Avani Prashanth as the only other amateur to win an international professional event in Europe. Last year, Avani claimed victory at the Ahlsell Final at Elisefarm in Sweden.
Last week, Briem nearly clinched a victory at the Dormy Open Helsingborg, an event on the Ladies European Tour. She shot 11-under par over three days, forcing a playoff with France's Perrine Delacour. However, she ultimately lost on the first extra hole and finished as the runner-up.
In 2024, Briem competed in six world ranking events, achieving a win at the Portuguese International Ladies Amateur Championship and a tenth-place finish at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley as her best amateur results of the year. She also made her second appearance at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur but missed the cut.
Additionally, Briem has participated in three professional events: two on the Ladies European Tour and one on the LET Access Series. Her performances include a T11 finish at the Amundi German Masters, a runner-up finish at the Dormy Open Helsingborg, and a recent victory at the Montauban Ladies Open.
When asked about her plans, she added, “My plan is to play a few LET Access events, some amateur events, and hopefully earn my LET card this year.”