Leján Lewthwaite
{{short description|South African professional golfer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox golfer
| name = Leján Lewthwaite
| image =
| imagesize = 225px
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1991|2|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = Benoni, South Africa
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| height = {{height|ft=5|in=3}}
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| nationality = {{ZAF}}
| residence = Johannesburg, South Africa
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| college = Texas State University
| yearpro = 2016
| retired =
| tour = LET (joined 2019)
Sunshine Ladies Tour
| extour = LET Access Series (joined 2017)
| prowins = 5
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Leján Lewthwaite (born 12 February 1991) is a South African professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour.{{cite web |title=Leján Lewthwaite Player Profile |url=https://ladieseuropeantour.com/player-profiles/?player=910103 |publisher=Ladies European Tour |access-date=18 July 2021}}
Amateur career
Lewthwaite was born in Benoni, Gauteng 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,{{cite web |title=Women's Golf Roster: Leján Lewthwaite |url=https://txstatebobcats.com/sports/womens-golf/roster/lejan-lewthwaite/4231 |publisher=Texas State Bobcats |access-date=18 July 2021}} where she won her first NCAA division 1 collegiate tournament in just her second start.{{cite web |title=Lejan writes from the U.S. |url=https://www.golfrsa.com/lejan-writes-from-the-us/ |publisher=Golf RSA |access-date=18 July 2021}}
She graduated with a BSc degree (cum laude) in 2015 and returned to South Africa.{{cite web |title=Getting to know Leján Lewthwaite |url=https://www.taylormadegolf.eu/clubhouse/161721-getting-to-know-lejan-lewthwaite.html?lang=en_DE |publisher=Taylormade Golf |access-date=18 July 2021}}
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 card for 2019 by finishing T10 at qualifying school. 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.{{cite web |title=Leján Lewthwaite Player Profile |url=https://sunshineladiestour.com/player/?player=LEW009&oomsrc=y |publisher=Sunshine Ladies Tour |access-date=18 July 2021}}
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 and Stacy Bregman.{{cite web |title=Invested in women, the future, each other |url=https://www.investec.com/en_int/sponsorships/investec-golf.html |publisher=Investec Golf |access-date=18 July 2021}}{{cite web |title=Local golfer an inspiration to women |url=https://boksburgadvertiser.co.za/416569/local-golfer-an-inspiration-to-women/ |publisher=Booksburg Advertiser |access-date=18 July 2021}}
Amateur wins (1)
- 2011 Johnny Imes Invitational
Professional wins (5)
=Sunshine Ladies Tour wins (4)=
|}
=LET Access Series wins (1)=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
!No. !Date !Tournament !Winning score !Margin of !Runner-up !Ref | ||||||
| 1 | 16 Sep 2023 | Hauts de France - Pas de Calais Golf Open | align=center|−11 (71-69-68=208) | Playoff | {{flagicon|SLO}} Katja Pogačar | {{cite web |title=Final Results 2023 Hauts de France - Pas de Calais Golf Open |url=https://letaccess.com/reports-page/?tourn=5024&report=tmresult~season=2023~result=PF~ |publisher=Sunshine Ladies Tour |access-date=19 September 2023}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{LadiesEuroTour player|910103}}
- {{SunshineLadiesTour player|LEW009}}
- {{WWGR|7264}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewthwaite, Lejan}}
Category:South African female golfers
Category:Texas State Bobcats women's golfers
Category:Ladies European Tour golfers
Category:Golfers from Johannesburg