Piers Manktelow
Anne Van Dam powers her way to victory on the LET

It's great that the LET live stream these events when they are not available to watch on mainstream TV. I hope as many people watched as Anne Van Dam put on a masterclass of golf!
This young dutch girl has the talent to go to the top of the game and it was great to see her find her form. I have been following Van Dam's progress with interest this year as I selected her in Golifsta's 10 to watch for 2018.
Van Dam made a solid start o the season on the LET in Australia, and played well in Thailand. However, she has not performed to her abilities on the Symetra Tour this year. She made two top 10's but sits 99th on the Race for the card. A return to Europe seems to have rejuvenated her game with a good performance at the final major of the season the Evian Championship before flying out to Spain.
From the outside it could be seen that Van Dam's game is based simply on power. On the Symetra Tour this year she leads driving distance with an average drive of 297 yards, nearly 10 yards to her nearest competitor. On the LET she sits in 2nd place with an average drive of 283 yards just behind Rachel Raastad of Norway. However, this week she showed she has the complete package with stunning approach play (82% GIR) and lovely delicate touches around the green.
For me it was fitting that Van Dam clinched her victory the same day as Tiger returned to the winners circle as Van Dam certainly has he potential to go right to the top of the women's game. The 22-year-old from Arnhem completed rounds of 64, 64, 65 and 65 for a 26-under-par total of 258 to claim her second Ladies European Tour title 2 years after her first victory.
After her victory she said “The first win was good, because it was the first time I was in contention and I won it straight away, but this one makes it so much more special, because I came close quite a few times after China and was really hard on myself. I kept on working really hard and I think I proved this week that I’m not only a long driver of the ball, but my iron game is good, my wedge game is good, my short game is really good and my putting under pressure is the best it’s ever been.”
I cant wait to see what she does for the rest of the season and also cant wait to see her in action at the 2019 Solheim Cup as I think she could be a very big player for Team Europe.
Anne Van Dam Fact File
Date of Birth: 2/10/95
Place of Birth: ARNHEM, NED
Turned Pro: 1/1/15
LET Wins: 2