Nanna Koerstz Madesen (Copenhagen, Denmark) was honored with the Epson Swift Award on Wednesday at the Tullymore Classic for her outstanding performance during the first half of the season. The Epson Swift Award is given annually to the player that finishes the first half of the season on top of the Volvik Race for the Card money list.
For winning the Epson Swift Award, Koerstz Madsen pockets $1,500, which does not count towards the money list.
Koerstz Madsen, who has two wins and five total top 10 finishes, has earned $58,724 as a rookie on the Epson Tour. She has finished inside the top 30 in eight of her nine starts and has finished inside the top 15 seven times. She ranks second on Tour in scoring average (70.48) and eighth in greens in regulation.
“I made a choice in the beginning of the year to focus on Epson (Tour) in hopes of getting the LPGA card for 2018,” explained Koerstz Madsen. “I have really enjoyed the first half of the season here on Epson (Tour), my game has been very consistent and the housing families I have stayed with have really help me to feel at home here in the states. I think this year will benefit me in the long run, I have learned a lot so far.”
The 23-year-old picked up her first win at the Epson Classic when she closed with a 68. Her second win came two weeks later at the Fuccillo Kia Classic of NY where she shot a final-round 66.
“After putting so much energy and time into the Epson Tour, it feels so good to see that I am getting closer to reach my goal for this year.”
Koerstz Madsen already had an impressive resume before coming to the U.S. to compete on the Epson Tour. She won on the Ladies European Tour (LET) in 2016 at the Tipsport Golf Masters and also represented Denmark at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. She finished 3rd on the Order of Merit in 2015 as a rookie and sixth in 2016.
The Epson Swift Award also comes with the chance to make a $1,000 donation to the charity of the players’ choice. Koerstz Madsen has selected Backspin, a Danish company that helps children with special needs. Backspin was founded by Michael Loehde Rasmussen in 1999 with the idea that golf could be a development tool for young kids with personal, social or education problems.
“It make me very happy to give Backspin the money, I know the money will be used to give the kids something special,” said Koerstz Madsen. “The staff at Backspin are so passionate about helping the kids, they spend every day trying to do the best for the kids. I know how much this donation will mean to them, so that is the reasons I have chosen Backspin - it make me so happy to be able to help Backspin.”
Koerstz Madsen is an ambassador for Backspin and wears the company logo on her visor.
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