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Student Series

Monk and Leu shine in Spanish sun at Student Tour Series

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The R&A
04 Feb 25
3 mins
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She may just graduate to a number one finish if she maintains the form she showed around La Sella Golf Club in the opening round of the STS – Spain. The English player stands atop the women’s leaderboard after she was the only player to play the Ladies’ European Tour (LET) venue under par. She posted a one-under-par 71 and holds a one-stroke advantage on the field. While Monk is chasing her maiden win, William Leu of Halmstad University is seeking his second after last season’s STS – Portugal at Pinhal Golf Club. He matched Monk’s 71, and also leads by one stroke, with Sean David of Merthyr College, Exeter University student Matt Millar and Maynooth scholars Thomas Abom and Sean McLoughlin sharing second place.

Tough opening

Sunningdale Golf Club member Monk survived consecutive bogeys at the sixth and seventh holes to record three birdies over the next 11 holes to post  71. She leads St Andrews student Lucy Jamieson and Thea Fridh of Halmstad University by a shot.  Monk knew bogeys at the sixth and seventh holes weren’t catastrophic. The front seven holes of the course that stages the LET’s La Sella Open are tricky.  “It was a case of just staying patient through those front seven holes, then knowing the hardest holes were done and I could swing more freely,” Monk said. “I managed the front nine well, and you need to do that to around this course. I knew I’d have opportunities on the back nine.” Monk’s two top-three finishes so far this season have put her second place on the Order of Merit. She has 145 points, just five behind Halmstad’s Hanna Nilsson, winner of the previous event, the STS – Ireland.
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William Leu - Halmstad University

"My game is definitely moving in the right direction. Of course it would be amazing to win. I really hope that's what happens, and I'll be very proud if it happens.”

Victory chase

“I’m still chasing first that win,” Monk admitted. “Hopefully it will come soon. I love this tour. It’s a great experience. I love the camaraderie I have with my teammates and getting to know girls from other universities. It’s great atmosphere out here and we play great courses that give us the chance to improve our competitive golf games.” The STS has definitely turned the second-year economics student into a better player. So much so that Monk won the prestigious Helen Holm Scottish Women's Open Championship last year. That result has whetted her appetite for more success, including a certain team competition between Great Britain and Ireland and the United States of America staged last year at her home club Sunningdale.  She added, “The Curtis Cup was amazing. It was great to see how the girls played my home course. It was very inspirational.” Monk wouldn’t be the first player to use the Student Tour Series as a training ground for a Curtis Cup spot. Former University of Stirling students Louise Duncan and Lorna McClymont have done just that. Duncan appeared in the 2022 match, while two-time STS order of Merit winner McClymont helped GB&I to victory at Sunningdale.  A possible Curtis Cup spot is in the future. The present demands that Monk gets her first STS “W”. She’s certainly given herself the best possible opportunity following her opening round.

Leu leads

Leu is in his final year at Halmstad, where he is studying sports science. The 22-year-old graduates in April and has his sights set on a career in the professional game. However, he wants to embark on that journey with at least one more STS victory. “I was really good off the tee today,” Leu said. “I made a couple of bad bogeys at 16 and 17 with three putts so I maybe could have scored a bit better but the greens are tricky. I’m pretty happy with my score overall.” Leu spent much of last year playing professional tournaments at home in Sweden. Indeed, 12 of the 16 World Amateur Golf Ranking® events he competed in were against professionals. A third-place finish in the Varmland Open by Billinger Forvaltning was his best return from those events. He added, “It was tough to step up and play with the pros because there are a lot of good players, but this series was important in helping prepare for those tournaments. I’ve learned that your game doesn’t have to be beautiful. I feel like I can hit a lot of shots the pros hit but they are just that bit better at scoring when they don’t have their ‘A’ game. “I’m hoping I can continue playing as well as I did today because I want a big finish to my university and Student Tour Series career with at least one more win before I turn pro.”
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Student Series