Leján Lewthwaite Explained

Leján Lewthwaite
Birth Date:12 February 1991
Birth Place:Benoni, South Africa
Residence:Johannesburg, South Africa
College:Texas State University
Yearpro:2016
Tour:LET (joined 2019)
Sunshine Ladies Tour
Extour:LET Access Series (joined 2017)
Prowins:5

Leján Lewthwaite (born 12 February 1991) is a South African professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour.[1]

Amateur career

Lewthwaite was born in Benoni, Gauteng and was 9 years old when she picked up her first club, but only started focusing on golf after she turned 17 and attended the Gavin Levenson Golf Academy. In 2011 she was offered a full golf scholarship to Texas State University,[2] where she won her first NCAA division 1 collegiate tournament in just her second start.[3]

She graduated with a BSc degree (cum laude) in 2015 and returned to South Africa.[4]

Professional career

Lewthwaite turned professional at the start of 2016. She competed in eight tournaments in the 2017 LET Access Series with a best finish being T10 at the Foxconn Czech Ladies Challenge. In 2018 she played in four LET events and then earned her Ladies European Tour card for 2019 by finishing T10 at qualifying school. In 2019 she played in 12 events and made seven cuts, recording two top-10 finishes including a season-best finish of ninth at the Jabra Ladies Open, to retained her card.[1]

Lewthwaite also played on the Sunshine Ladies Tour where she secured her first professional title at the 2019 South African Women's Masters. In 2020 she claimed back-to-back victories at the SuperSport Ladies Challenge, held at Gary Player Country Club, and the Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am, held at Fancourt Hotel and Country Club.[5]

In 2020 she recorded a season-best finish of T16 at the Investec South African Women's Open, held at Westlake Golf Club, and in 2021 she was T7 at the Ladies Italian Open, three strokes off the lead.

Lewthwaite is supported by Investec, the title sponsor of the South African Women's Open, along with compatriots Nicole Garcia and Stacy Bregman.[6] [7]

Amateur wins (1)

Professional wins (5)

Sunshine Ladies Tour wins (4)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner-upRef
1−1 (75-73-67=215) Playoff Kajal Mistry (a) [8]
2−6 (66-71-73=210) Playoff [9]
3−9 (66-68-73=207) 8 strokes [10]
4Vodacom Origins of Golf Ladies Final E (69-75=144)

LET Access Series wins (1)

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Leján Lewthwaite Player Profile . Ladies European Tour . 18 July 2021.
  2. Web site: Women's Golf Roster: Leján Lewthwaite . Texas State Bobcats . 18 July 2021.
  3. Web site: Lejan writes from the U.S. . Golf RSA . 18 July 2021.
  4. Web site: Getting to know Leján Lewthwaite . Taylormade Golf . 18 July 2021.
  5. Web site: Leján Lewthwaite Player Profile . Sunshine Ladies Tour . 18 July 2021.
  6. Web site: Invested in women, the future, each other . Investec Golf . 18 July 2021.
  7. Web site: Local golfer an inspiration to women . Booksburg Advertiser . 18 July 2021.
  8. Web site: Final Results 2019 South African Women's Masters . Sunshine Ladies Tour . 29 April 2021.
  9. Web site: Final Results 2020 SuperSport Ladies Challenge . Sunshine Ladies Tour . 29 April 2021.
  10. Web site: Final Results 2020 Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am . Sunshine Ladies Tour . 29 April 2021.
  11. Web site: Final Results 2023 Hauts de France - Pas de Calais Golf Open . Sunshine Ladies Tour . 19 September 2023.