It’s hard to miss Helen Briem. For starters, the 19-year-old German is 6-foot-3-inches tall, and lately, she’s been the one holding the trophy.
The long-hitting Briem extended a magnificent run of late with a victory at the La Sella Open in her first Ladies European Tour start as a professional. The new pro began the final round with a one-shot lead and fired a 6-under 66 on Sunday to win by two over Pauline Roussin-Brouchard.
Earlier this season as an amateur, Briem tied for 11th at the Amundi German Masters and finished runner-up at the Dormy Open Helsingborg to Perrine Delacour on the LET. She then rattled off three consecutive victories on the LET Access Series, a developmental tour. After winning the European Ladies’ Team Championship in July, she became the first German to rise to No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Only she didn’t stay there very long, choosing to immediately turn professional.
A memorable day for Helen Briem ⭐️#RaiseOurGame | #LaSellaOpen pic.twitter.com/BfzQFL3Ip5
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) September 22, 2024
Briem locked up her first title as a pro at the Rose Ladies Open in a playoff earlier this month, becoming the first player to win four events in a single season on the Access Series. In her last six Rolex-ranked events, Briem has finished 2-1-1-1-T4-1.
“Currently, I have no words,” Briem told the LET after her victory in Spain. “It’s just incredible, it’s my first event on the LET as a professional and my third overall. I’m just really proud.”
Briem had already secured her LET card for 2025 through her fine play on the Access Series. In the wake of the Solheim Cup, one can’t help but wonder if Briem, a two-time Junior Solheim Cup player, will make her way onto the European team in 2026.
Briem’s history-making amateur career included a 12-and-10 victory in the final of the 2023 R&A Girls’ Amateur, where she became the first German to win the championship in the event’s 104-year history.
At the 2022 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, Briem took a share of medalist honors at Le Golf National in Paris with Rose Zhang and Meja Ortengren, though no official title or medal was given for individual results.
