MacDonald upbeat despite 'frustration' at LET schedule

The Scot has played just four times on Europe's leading female circuit this season

Kelsey Macdonald is doing her best to stay optimistic despite her 'frustration' at the chronic lack of events on the Ladies European Tour for a second consecutive year.

The former Scottish Women's Amateur champion has played just four times on Europe's leading female circuit since the turn of the year, while there have been just three events on the schedule between the Investec SA Women's Open in mid-March and the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open in late July.

The Ladies European Tour has reportedly turned down assistance from both the LPGA Tour and European Tour in recent months and, when US-based players arrive at Gullane for the co-sanctioned event, they will do so on the back of nine events in a row. Some LET players, meanwhile, won't have teed it up competitively for five weeks.

It would seem, then, that it's a tall order for LET players to compete well in what MacDonald calls 'another major' in East Lothian, but she remains upbeat that a brighter future for the tour is on the not too distant horizon.

"It's frustrating," MacDonald, who has also been doing a bit of caddying at Loch Lomond between events, admitted to UK Club Golfer. "But we have to be honest and realise that it will take time. It takes a long time to build relationships with potential sponsors so I do think, in the next couple of years, it'll press on and hopefully we can have a season where we can pick and choose what events we play in like the men do.

"As for the Ladies Scottish Open, it's effectively like another major for us. It's tough, though. Last year, the LPGA Tour based players came into the Ladies Scottish Open on the back of eight straight weeks, whereas we hadn't played for six weeks and it looks similar again this year. But it's the same for all of the girls on the LET and we just have to try and stay competitive."

The current financial climate is one of the main reasons behind the shortage of events on the LET and MacDonald hopes that, given how well her colleagues Charley Hull, Georgia Hall, Mel Reid, Carlota Ciganda and Catriona Matthew performed up against the men in the European Tour's GolfSixe s in May, it can act as a catalyst for women's golf in Europe.

"I thought it was brilliant," she added. "The girls did amazingly and really promoted European women's golf well. I really hope something positive comes from this. If we can try to get a few more events where we're linked in with the men, that would be great."

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