15 years after turning pro, former DU golfer Ellie Givens notches her first victory on the Ladies European Tour
By Gary Baines
It’s not an exaggeration to note that it was half a lifetime ago that Ellie Givens first came from her home in England to the University of Denver to play golf and go to college.
Givens, now 37, first ventured to DU 19 years ago and went on to be part of the Pioneer team that finished fifth at the NCAA national championships in 2009 — which remains the best showing ever by a Colorado-based women’s golf team at the NCAA Division I nationals.
Obviously, much has transpired for Givens since her DU days. But, golf-wise at least, the most notable thing that’s happened since took place on Saturday. It was then that — in her 210th Ladies European Tour start over the last 15 years — Givens became a first-time winner on the LET.
The former Pioneer rallied from four strokes behind on the final day to claim the title at the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open. Givens went 68-66-66 for a 13-under-par total that was good for a one-stroke victory over three players. She played her final 49 holes of the event bogey-free.
It was quite a breakthrough for a player who had to regain her playing status through Q-School in December.
“I can’t believe it,” Givens said. “I’m so excited and really proud of myself. I’m a little bit in shock as well. I did feel pretty calm today, a lot calmer than I thought I would be. I just thought, ‘Come on, let’s go for this.’ My weekend had a nightmare start (because her clubs arrived late) so it’s kind of fate that I managed to win this week. I took my chance.
“This is life-changing. I was looking last year at whether I still wanted to play or not. I decided, ‘No, come on, you’ve got this,’ You’ve got the ability to play and still compete. I’ve worked really, really hard behind the scenes. To have this trophy means so much.”
The victory earned Givens 52,500 euros ($60,228), lifting her to 23rd place on the 2026 LET Order of Merit.
“210th time lucky, right?” Givens said. “No, I always knew I had the capability to win. This is actually really my first proper time being in contention. Some of just take longer than others.”
For all the results from the Swiss Ladies Open, CLICK HERE.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com