Alexandra Armas has been the Ladies European Tours CEO since October 2019. Her abilities to negotiate, her experience on Marketing and her four seasons as a pro on that Circuit avail her. Previously she had been executive director at the LET from 2008 until 2012. Now she is back with a renewed enthusiasm and convinced that union makes force. Along with Marta Figueras Dotti and her team they had organized an amazing calendar for 2020. The current circumstances have stopped everything, even though, she has kept working hard for women’s golf, with her amiable character and work ethic, helping to achieve a milestone: the Solheim Cup 2023 will be held in Spain.

You have managed to bring the Solheim to the Costa del Sol!!!

The truth is that this is a very important moment and, being Spanish, I feel very proud. I think that most important of all is that institutions alongside Sports & Business managed to bring the Solheim to Spain. It has been an incredible effort because this is an enormous event, which requires hard work, it started with Iñigo and Alicia´s dream when they went to the Solheim in 2009. I’m very happy because as a Spaniard  I’ll enjoy it.

Marta Figueras Dotti and you have something to do with the achievement, haven’t you?

Well, we work all together with passion, as a team, for women’s golf. The truth is that it can be seen on the number of tournaments in Spain, the number of female players and on the love with which the tournaments are organized. 

You were in the LET and you left: what has made you come back?

To me, what was most important when I was offered to return, was the collaboration with the LPGA. We are much stronger in sports united, because golf is very divided due to many tours. The opportunity to work with the LPGA, after the LET having had so many problems over the years, was what I found more attractive, because using the same formula again wasn’t going to work, a reinvention was necessary.

I guess that having Marta Figueras Dotti as president has helped.

Of course. It helps knowing who is managing and her vision for everything. We have to work side by side and I knew for a fact that this was my moment.

2020 was going to be the great year for the LET with 25 tournaments: Do you think they still will be held in 2021?

So far as today, yes. Everyone is still very excited, looking forward to it and positive. The calendar is quite closed, ready to be launched, up to now, with 25 tournaments, many of them in Europe. We are going back to Sweden, Finland, Belgium and Netherlands. We are starting to have more events in Europe. The Covid situation is out of our hands and nobody knows the economic impact that it can have, but we are all working with enthusiasm, being very positive, and up to now nobody has answered no.

What country are you missing to bring the LET?

Germany is resisting. Even though it seems to be the cradle of Europe and, economically, it has big companies… But we are working on it.

Women’s golf is more affordable for companies: does it help when it comes to look for sponsors?

It was possible to play golf again sooner than other sports because we play outside. We have been among the few women’s sports competing, we have been on television, and I think this helps a lot in order to bring visibility to private companies. It is not as expensive as men’s, it has the same scope and the Pro-am around the tournaments are the same as the ones at the male events. I think that we can get something positive out of this situation.

Do you think that the Solheim is known enough in Spain?

That is part of our responsibility. Obviously, the Solheim is an event of three fantastic days to enjoy golf, but it’s actually a very important project on which we have to work all together, regional and national federations next to the associates of clubs, so that golf as a sport is the one that really benefits from bringing the Solheim Cup here. The tourism would be another important contribution. Nevertheless, if we bring the Solheim to a country and we don’t increase the interest in it, and if we don’t get more participation and more kids aspiring to become professional players, then we have failed. The importance of the Solheim is not that the golf lasts three days, it is the previous three years and the ones after it. We want to make a serious impact.

The Ryder marked a turning point in Valderrama and it even set the future of our number one, Jon Rham: Do you think something similar can happen here also?

The truth is that Spain has had, has now and will still have in the future masculine and feminine players of the highest levels, so it is just a matter of time before it happens. There will be, for sure, women golfers playing during the time it is held in Spain and that is very important because the public get excited with local players.

Would you dare to make a bet on which women play?

I honestly hope that Azahara is one of them, I’d love that because she deserves it, she has been a real ambassador for golf, for Marbella and for the South of Spain, and for her it will be a very special moment, so I hope she is. I hope that Carlota also enjoys the event, and then new names, new stars, can arise from now until then.

What do you think about the election of Finca Cortesin?

The Solheim at Finca Cortesin is going to be fantastic, most of all because of the spectacle for the match play that it offers. It is going to be a very entertaining course, but also because of the views, the holes, the curves, I think that people are going to enjoy being at the course as much as watching it on TV.

What is your objective for the future at the LET?

To have a solid calendar and increase the prizes. Even though in the USA it is already better, when comparing men against ladies’ winnings the difference is huge and I would like that the girls that play the circuits would be able to make a living from it. They work hard, they are very professional and are good at their job, so they deserve more.