Leján Lewthwaite (born 12 February 1991) is a South African
professional golfer
A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...
who plays on the
Ladies European Tour
The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1978. Most of the players on the tour are European, with members from more than 40 countries internationally. Despite its name, the tour also has tournaments in A ...
.
Amateur career
Lewthwaite was born in
Benoni, Gauteng
Benoni is a town on the East Rand, Gauteng, South Africa, some east of Johannesburg, within the City of Ekurhuleni municipality.
Benoni was also the setting for the MTV-inspired movie ''Crazy Monkey: Straight Outta Benoni'', released internat ...
and was 9 years old when she picked up her first club, but only started focusing on golf after she turned 17 and attended the Gavin Levenson Golf Academy. In 2011 she was offered a full golf scholarship to
Texas State University
Texas State University (TXST) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in San Marcos, Texas, United States, and another campus in Round Rock, Texas, Round Rock. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has ...
, where she won her first NCAA division 1 collegiate tournament in just her second start.
She graduated with a BSc degree (cum laude) in 2015 and returned to South Africa.
Professional career
Lewthwaite turned professional at the start of 2016. She competed in eight tournaments in the
2017 LET Access Series with a best finish being T10 at the
Foxconn Czech Ladies Challenge. In 2018 she played in four LET events and then earned her
Ladies European Tour
The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1978. Most of the players on the tour are European, with members from more than 40 countries internationally. Despite its name, the tour also has tournaments in A ...
card for 2019 by finishing T10 at
qualifying school
In professional golf, the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S.-based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the ...
. In 2019 she played in 12 events and made seven cuts, recording two top-10 finishes including a season-best finish of ninth at the
Jabra Ladies Open, to retained her card.
Lewthwaite also played on the
Sunshine Ladies Tour where she secured her first professional title at the 2019
South African Women's Masters. In 2020 she claimed back-to-back victories at the
SuperSport Ladies Challenge, held at
Gary Player Country Club, and the
Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am, held at
Fancourt Hotel and Country Club
Fancourt Hotel and Country Club is a South African golf estate in George, Western Cape (Garden Route District Municipality). It is rated among the top 10 lifestyle estates in the world.
The Links Course at Fancourt is rated as the number 1 golf c ...
.
In 2020 she recorded a season-best finish of T16 at the
Investec South African Women's Open, held at Westlake Golf Club, and in 2021 she was T7 at the
Ladies Italian Open, three strokes off the lead.
Lewthwaite is supported by Investec, the title sponsor of the South African Women's Open, along with compatriots
Nicole Garcia
Nicole Garcia (born 22 April 1946) is a French actress, film director and screenwriter. Her film '' Charlie Says'' was entered into the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Her film '' Going Away'' was screened in the Special Presentation section at the ...
and
Stacy Bregman.
Amateur wins (1)
*2011 Johnny Imes Invitational
Professional wins (5)
Sunshine Ladies Tour wins (4)
LET Access Series wins (1)
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewthwaite, Lejan
South African female golfers
Texas State Bobcats women's golfers
Ladies European Tour golfers
Golfers from Johannesburg
Sportspeople from Benoni
Golfers from Gauteng
1991 births
Living people
21st-century South African sportswomen