Emily Kristine Pedersen (Smoerum, Denmark) joins the field this week for her first Epson Tour appearance since 2017. Over the last three years, she competed on both the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour (LET), but most recently made headlines after winning the Race to Costa del Sol on the LET in 2020. Pedersen finished the season with three consecutive wins for a total of five on the year.
“It showed me that my game is in a good place and I was trending really good,” said Pedersen. “It gave me a lot of confidence to be able to finish with three wins in a row and gave me a lot to build on coming into this season.”
Since turning professional, Pedersen has competed in two Epson Tour events and made both cuts with a top finish of tied for 24th at the 2017 Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic in Greenwood, S.C.
Meanwhile, in the middle of her historic 2020 campaign, Pedersen secured a career-best performance on the LPGA Tour of tied for 11th at the AIG Women’s Open. She hopes to earn back full status on the LPGA and represent Denmark at the Tokyo Olympics in August, as well as qualify for Team Europe in the 2021 Solheim Cup.
During the offseason, Pedersen used the down time to reflect and pinpoint areas of improvement for a successful 2021.
“After the U.S. Women’s Open [last December], I took a few weeks off before I started practicing back in Denmark. I have been working a lot on my putting,” said Pedersen. “I changed my grip and a few other things because, looking back at my stats from last year, it was kind of the area I was below average. I put in quite a bit of work on that.”
Beyond using 2020 as an inspiration for continued momentum in her career, Pedersen added a special and iconic name in the world of women’s golf to her inspiration board this Women’s History month.
“In golf, Suzann [Pettersen] is my idol. She has this fire that I really look up to. Outside of golf, I really like Lindsey Vonn and Serena Williams. I really think they are strong women who are fighting for what they want especially Serena Williams, for the battles she’s fought to try and equalize the game of tennis,” said Pedersen.
When asked who she would add to the mix to complete her ideal foursome for a round of golf, Pedersen mentioned fellow Danish athlete Caroline Wozniacki, a former tennis pro who won the 2018 Australian Open title.
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