Catriona Matthew calls for change at struggling LET

Catriona Matthew has claimed that the Ladies European Tour needs a change of leadership to stop the haemorrhaging of tournaments that sparked rumours of the circuit being in crisis earlier in the year.

Catriona Matthew speaking at Kingsbarns. Picture: Richard Martin-Roberts/Getty Images

Five events have been lost from this season’s already threadbare schedule, making life difficult for members to be even close to competitive against their LPGA counterparts coming into events like this week’s Women’s British Open in Fife.

“I don’t really play much in Europe, but they have obviously been having their issues with the commissioner,” said Scottish No 1 Matthew of Ivan Khodabakhsh, the former boxing supremo who has been the LET’s chief executive since 2012.

“I think we need to try to get that sorted and see what direction they are going to go in there. I think the product’s there. They have got a lot of good players. It’s just perhaps they have had the wrong person at the head, so hopefully if they can get that resolved, it can start building itself up again.”

Matthew, the 2009 winner at Royal Lytham, spearheads a seven-strong home challenge in the Ricoh-sponsored-event at Kingsbarns, where she is hoping to secure a spot in Europe’s 12-strong side for the Solheim Cup in Des Moines, Iowa, in a fortnight’s time.

Suzann Pettersen, Charley Hull, Georgia Hall, Florentyna Parker, Mel Reid and Carlota Ciganda are among players occupying automatic spots, with Matthew in the mix for four wild card picks along with the likes of Karine Icher, Jodie Ewart Shadoff and Anna Nordqvist.