Singapore golfer Shannon Tan claims Ladies European Tour Order of Merit crown

SINGAPORE – Singaporean golfer Shannon Tan is proud to end her season with a “special” achievement after adding the Order of Merit (OOM) title on the Ladies European Tour (LET) to her resume on Nov 30.

“It means a lot to me personally. When I started the season, I wasn’t focused on chasing the Order of Merit, my goal was simply to keep improving and put myself in contention more often,” said the 21-year-old, after emerging from a tight battle with Britain’s Mimi Rhodes to decide the season’s best player on the tour.

“So to end the year this way is really special. Being the first Singaporean to achieve this makes it even more meaningful.

“I’m proud to represent Singapore on this stage and I hope it shows young players back home that it’s possible to dream big with hard work, belief and the right support.

“If this inspires even one more junior golfer to pick up a club, that would be amazing.”

Singapore Golf Association chief executive Joshua Ho said: “We are delighted to extend our congratulations to Shannon... It has been a fabulous weekend for Singapore golf with James Leow securing his breakthrough on the Asian Development Tour and Shannon now winning the season-long Order of Merit in Europe.”

“We are confident such achievements by our Singaporean golfers will continue to inspire and raise the popularity of golf in Singapore.”

Going into the final tournament of the season, Tan had led her rival by 219.26 points in the OOM race. Rhodes needed to beat the Singaporean and finish in the top three to have a chance of winning the title.

The battle went down to the wire at the Andalucia Costa del Sol Open at the Real Guadalhorce Golf Club in Malaga on Nov 30, with Tan shooting a one-over 73 to end tied-16th with a seven-under 281 after four rounds.

Her roller-coaster round included three birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey on the 12th, before she steadied the ship with six consecutive pars.

Despite a strong start with four birdies in her first 12 holes, Rhodes’ charge was undone by bogeys on the 14th and 18th holes as she carded a 70 for a 10-under 278 total and a joint-seventh finish.

France’s Nastasia Nadaud fired a scorching 66 to end top with a 16-under total of 272 and beat Australia’s Kirsten Rudgeley (69) by four shots. Australian Kelsey Bennett (66), Germany’s Olivia Cowan (67), Norway’s Dorthea Forbrigd (68) and France’s Perrine Delacour (73) were joint-third.

In the OOM title race, Rhodes, 23, had started the season strongly, securing three wins – Women’s New South Wales Open, Joburg Ladies Open and Dutch Ladies Open – in the space of two months.

Tan’s victories at the German Masters in June and Women’s Indian Open in October, besides six other top-10 finishes, lifted her to the top of the standings.

Said Tan: “Mimi has had an incredible season, winning three times, and having someone play at that level definitely pushed me.

“Almost every week, it felt like we were both up there and that motivated me to want to be better.

“For me, it was never about trying to beat her, it was about staying competitive and putting myself in positions to win. But knowing she was always right there absolutely kept me focused.”

Tan had finished sixth on the OOM in her maiden 2024 season and was the first Singaporean to win on the LET, with a debut victory at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open in February.

Although she did not win again last season, four other top-10 finishes helped her finish with €191,807.61 (S$288,000) in prize money.

She is also the first golfer from the Republic to compete at an Olympics (Paris 2024) and the first local female golfer to make the cut at a Major (Women’s British Open at St Andrews in 2024).

Both Tan and Rhodes will next head to the Magnolia Grove Golf Course in Alabama from Dec 4 to 8 as the top-10 finishers on the OOM gain direct entry to the final stage of the LPGA qualifying school, where the top 25 and tied golfers receive LPGA Tour cards for 2026.

Tan did not secure an LPGA Tour spot after she missed the cut at the final qualifying stage in 2024.

When asked what it would mean to compete in the LPGA, she said: “I grew up watching the LPGA and playing on that tour is a dream for so many of us out here. To earn that opportunity this early in my career would be incredible.

“But I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. Whether it happens this year or sometime in the future, I just want to keep growing and building on the foundation I’ve created.”