A three-time winner on the Ladies European Tour (LET) Access Series and the Order of Merit winner in 2015, Olivia Cowan is rekindling a similar form in an impressive 2021 LET season to date. She has played the weekend in all eight starts with four top-10 finishes. That includes her first LET win at the inaugural Aramco Team Series—London as a part of Team Cowan, joined by Sarina Schmidt and Diksha Dagar.
“I was actually really lucky that I could pick one of my friends, so my strategy was a lot different,” Cowan said. “I wasn’t going on who was playing well, just basically wanted to pick a friend and have a good time out there. It worked out, picked Sarina, who is one of my good friends, and then we got really lucky with our third pick being Diksha. She’s a great player and we got on really well as a team.
“It gave me some confidence. Been close on the LET a few times now over the past five years. Coming down that stretch, we needed to score some more birdies. I think that winning definitely helped building up my confidence going forward.”
While the victory provided a boost in momentum, her first start in the Amundi Evian Championship last week was a great opportunity to learn and for growth.
“The weather was amazing, definitely made the week good. It was a really good experience to play with the LPGA gals and see how they set it up,” said Cowan, who finished in a tie for 70th. “They set it up very different to how we play on the LET, which I think was difficult in some places but a good challenge.”
Back in Northern Ireland for the first time since 2019, when the ISPS Handa World Invitational presented by Modest! Golf Management was a Challenge Tour event with a women’s invitational that she earned a share of third, Cowan is eager to compete in the event as a Modest! Golf ambassador for the first time. Galgorm Castle Golf Club and Massereene Golf Club are places where the German has fond memories.
“It’s great to be back. It was a really event then and it’s great playing with the men, to see them practice and just chat because we don’t see them that often,” Cowan said. “I started working with Modest! Golf last year and it has been really good. I’m really happy and the team is amazing. They put a lot of work into helping me become the best and they’re just all in.
“[This week] is basically like playing at home because of all their support. I feel very comfortable here.”