She may not have been able to guide the European team to victory at last weekend’s Solheim Cup, but Derby’s golf sensation Melissa Reid is not taking her foot off the accelerator in her quest for a spot on the LPGA tour in America.

The 28-year-old was the only European lady to stay unbeaten at St. Leon-Rot in Germany, and despite contributing three-and-a-half points out of four on her own, her side went down 14.5-13.5 to a stunning American comeback on Sunday.

The contest was shrouded in controversy after an incident on Sunday morning which saw American Alison Lee pick up a short putt that Europe’s Suzann Pettersen failed to concede. The ensuing penalty for the USA fired the side up and was turning point of the competition.

But Reid, who also featured in 2011’s Solheim Cup, is hopeful the competition can be remembered for the right reasons with women’s golf under the spotlight more than ever before.

“The Solheim Cup was a great experience, it always is, and personally it was a great triumph for me even though we lost,” said Reid at the SSE Women’s Invitational, an event which paved the way for female executives from all industries to mix business and golf.

“That was good; obviously while it was a shame that we didn’t win there was some fantastic golf played from both sides, and that is what it should be remembered for rather than what happened on Sunday morning.

“I felt I only had one year really to qualify for the team, as I didn’t have a good 2014 at all, so to achieve that made me very proud and I’m happy with how I played.”

Reid’s story of tragedy to triumph is impossible to ignore, and she has risen from the ashes in 2015 after a couple of under-par seasons on the Ladies European Tour The former LET Rookie of the Year had to contend with the tragic loss of her mother Joy in a car collision in 2012, while she was on the way to see her daughter compete in Germany.

But Reid, who currently sits fourth on the LET Order of Merit, won her first event in three years at the Turkish Open in June and recorded her best ever result at a major last month, finishing in a tie for ninth at the Women’s British Open.

And she insists conquering America’s LPGA Tour is the next item on her to-do list.

She said: “I’ve won an Order of Merit before and I don’t feel like I need to prove myself and win it again, so my goal now is to get as many invites to LPGA events as I can.

“I missed the closing date for Q school, it’s as simple as that. My management team made a little mistake, but there’s no harm done and I can get the invites instead.

“I want to be challenging myself on the LPGA now rather than in Europe, and we can work around the situation.

“Playing with the top US girls at the Solheim Cup is frustrating in a way. I know that if I want to be one of the best players in the world I need to be over there with them week in, week out.

“Whenever I compete against them I’m up there with them so it’s frustrating to an extent, but at the same time a lot has gone in my life the last three years, and I’m certainly accelerating at a pace that I didn’t think I was going to be.”

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