Kelsey Bennett
| Kelsey Bennett | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | 17 February 2000 |
| Sporting nationality |  Australia |
| Residence | Mollymook, New South Wales, Australia |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2022 |
| Current tour(s) | WPGA Tour of Australasia (joined 2022) LET Access Series (joined 2023) Ladies European Tour (joined 2024) |
| Professional wins | 2 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| ALPG Tour | 1 |
| Other | 1 |
| Best results in LPGA major championships | |
| Chevron Championship | DNP |
| Women's PGA C'ship | DNP |
| U.S. Women's Open | DNP |
| Women's British Open | CUT: 2023 |
| Evian Championship | DNP |
Kelsey Bennett (born 17 February 2000) is an Australian professional golfer who plays on the WPGA Tour of Australasia and the Ladies European Tour. She won The Athena and Hauts de France – Pas de Calais Golf Open in 2024.
Early life and amateur career
[edit]Bennett grew up in Mollymook in New South Wales, Australia and has been member of Mollymook Golf Club since the age of 10. Her other home club is St. Michael's.[1]
She became a member of the NSW Women's Team in 2018.[2] In 2019, she was runner-up at the Malaysian Ladies Amateur and lost in the semi-final of the Queensland Women's Amateur won by Stephanie Kyriacou. She lost the final of the 2020 NSW Women's Amateur, 3 and 2, to Grace Kim. In 2021, she won the Victorian Women's Amateur over Jeneath Wong, 3 and 2, and finished runner-up at the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, a stroke behind Mizuki Hashimoto.[3]
In 2022, Bennett advanced to the semi-finals of the Australian Women's Amateur, quarter-finals of The Women's Amateur Championship, and round-of-16 at the U.S. Women's Amateur. She also finished top-16 at both the Women's NSW Open and Australian Women's Classic, events co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour.[3]
Bennett represented Australia at the 2022 Espirito Santo Trophy at Le Golf National in Paris, and at the 2022 Asia-Pacific Amateur Ladies Golf Team Championship for the Queen Sirikit Cup in Singapore.[4]
Professional career
[edit]Bennett turned professional in 2022 and joined the WPGA Tour of Australasia. In 2023, she joined the LET Access Series where she recorded six top-10s and finished 14th in the Order of Merit in her rookie season.[5]
Bennett came through a 13-way sudden-death playoff in final qualifying at Hankley Common to secure a place in the 2023 Women's British Open at Walton Heath, where she missed the cut by two strokes.[6]
In February 2024, she won The Athena at Peninsula Kingswood Golf Club in Melbourne by going one-under, one-under and even in her three four-hole matches on Sunday.[7][8]
In Bennett's first event in Europe in 2024, she held a one stroke lead heading into the final round of the Montauban Ladies Open, ultimately finishing third, two strokes behind winner Helen Briem.[9] She made a handful of LET starts without missing a cut, before claiming her maiden LETAS victory at the Hauts de France – Pas de Calais Golf Open with a birdie on the first playoff hole.[10]
Amateur wins
[edit]- 2018 Faldo Series Australia Championship, Savannah Harbour Junior Shootout
- 2021 Tasmanian Open Championship, Northern Territory Women's Amateur, Victorian Women's Amateur
Source:[3]
Professional wins (2)
[edit]WPGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)
[edit]| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 Feb 2024 | The Athena | 16 [a] | Even | 2 strokes | Amy Chu |
WPGA Tour of Australasia playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023 | WPGA Melbourne International | Cassie Porter | Lost to par on fourth extra hole |
LET Access Series (1)
[edit]| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 Sep 2024 | Hauts de France – Pas de Calais Golf Open | 67-73=140[b] | −4 | Playoff |  Anaïs Maggetti Billie-Jo Smith |
LET Access Series playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2024 | Hauts de France – Pas de Calais Golf Open | Anaïs Maggetti Billie-Jo Smith | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Team appearances
[edit]Amateur
- Australian Women's Interstate Teams Matches (representing New South Wales): 2018, 2019, 2022
- Queen Sirikit Cup (representing Australia): 2022
- Espirito Santo Trophy (representing Australia): 2022
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Mollymook Golf Club's Kelsey Bennett wins U.S. Women's Amateur Qualifying event in Georgia". Troon Golf. 9 July 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Kelsey Bennett Profile". Golf NSW. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "Kelsey Bennett". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Sweden snatches Espirito Santo Trophy from USA". Golf Australia. 28 August 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Kelsey Bennett Bio". LET Access Series. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Aussie Bennett among final Women's Open qualifiers". Golf Australia. 8 August 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Bennett crowned queen of The Athena". Golf Australia. Golf Australia. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Six things to know about every player at The Athena". Australian Golf Digest. 22 February 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Bennett in Front Heading into the Final Round of the Montauban Ladies Open". LET Access Series. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ "Bennett Snares Maiden Tour Win". Golf NSW. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
External links
[edit]- Kelsey Bennett at the WPGA Tour Australasia official site
- Kelsey Bennett at the Ladies European Tour official site
- Kelsey Bennett at the Women's World Golf Rankings official site