Frances Bondad (Australia). Frances is 19 and from Sydney. She won the third full card for the LET’s 2008 season.
Q. At the beginning of the week how did you rate your chances of qualifying?
Frances Bondad: Pretty good. I finished ninth last week (in Pre Q School) so that boosted my confidence.
Q. How does it feel to have made your Tour card?
Frances Bondad: Really, really, really happy and glad it’s all over.
Q. This is your first time at Q School. How did you find it?
Frances Bondad: I actually played in the second LPGA Q School and I didn’t make it but I think that was a good experience. I learned a lot from that week.
Q. Are you going to play in Europe next year?
Frances Bondad: Yes, definitely.
Q. What are your goals?
Frances Bondad: To make enough money to stay on the Tour!
Q. Are you going to play in the ALPG Tour season?
Frances Bondad: Yes.
Q. What will you be doing between now and next year?
Frances Bondad: Preparing for next year’s Tour. Lots of practise. I will play in the Australian Open and the ANZ Masters.
Natalie Booth. Natalie is 24 and from Hampshire in England. She birdied the 18th hole in a five-way play-off to retain herTour playing rights for 2008
Q. How does it feel to have earned a full Tour card?
Natalie Booth: It’s a huge relief. I left the course earlier thinking I didn’t have a hope in hell and we went back to the hotel to look at flights for tomorrow morning. I looked at the scores and I was 31st at half past three and thought I’d better go back to the course. I got here and hit a few shots.
Q. Were you nervous in the play-off, especially over your birdie putt on the 18th hole?
Natalie Booth: Well not really! I doubled that hole earlier so it owed me a three I thought. I was calmer over that putt than I was earlier in the round. I’m really looking forward to next year – and not coming back here! I’m going to work hard to earn my Tour card early on – by mid way through the season hopefully. It means a lot.
Martina Gillen (Martina played her rookie year on the LET in 2007 and retained her full Tour card at Le Fonti)
Q. You must be very happy to have qualified again?
Martina Gillen: Oh yes! I was so stressed coming here and I just wanted another chance at it; another year because I felt that last year I did a few things wrong and I didn’t play well. I didn’t give myself the best chance and I’m just so glad to have another chance. If it doesn’t work out then it doesn’t work out but at least I have another year to give it a go.
Q. You are now one of only two full time Irish players on the Tour.
Martina Gillen: Yes. It’s just myself and Rebecca (Coakley) now, which is really disappointing. I’m really disappointed for Claire (Coughlan) and Hazel (Kavanagh). The more the better, you know. We travel together so I don’t know what Claire is going to do. I’m very disappointed for her. It was hard enough to get through today just because I was thinking “What am I going to do?” because we’re good friends. Hopefully she’ll get into a few tournaments.
Q. What will you do between now and next season?
Martina Gillen: Just work on the usual, fitness and nutrition and stuff. Things that I need to work on that I overlooked last year. Fitness is really important and I didn’t work on that too much last year. I need to work on that.
Q. What have you learned from this year?
Martina Gillen: Just that solid golf is all you have to do. Just keep it going and hopefully throw in a few good tournaments. You just need steady golf.