LEE-ANNE PACE: the 29-year-old South African enjoyed a strong 2009, finishing 21st in the Order of Merit thanks to ten top 20 results.

Golf365: Hi Lee-Anne, you're heading into your fourth season on the LET and you've improved every year so are you excited ahead of 2010?

Lee-Anne: Yes I am very excited for the upcoming year. I have been working hard with my physical trainer as well as my coaches, so I am looking forward to seeing the results.

Golf365: The downside of improving is coping with rising expectations ...

Lee-Anne: I don't always think that having expectations is bad, as long as you realise your strengths as well as your weaknesses. I try to turn expectations into goals for the year, both big and small. I know that if I reach these individual goals, I will be successful and therefore live up to the expectations. I think it is important to dream big, but pay attention to the small things. Keep it simple.

Golf365: Thinking about the Tour, it seems from the outside that the international flavour increases with every year, does it feel like that on the inside?

Lee-Anne: Yes I love that about the LET. We are constantly stimulated by new sights and flavors. It is great to have such diversity every week.

Golf365: You've played a full season on the Futures Tour (the LPGA's development tour) - how does it compare with the LET?

Lee-Anne: The obvious answer would be that there is more money on the LET and the entry fee is less. Travelling in the US is easier of course. I think the level of competition is very high on both tours, but most of the time you cover your expenses on the LET if you make the cut, where it is not always the case on the Futures Tour. The nice thing about the Futures Tour is that there are LPGA cards to play for.

Golf365: Are you heading Down Under with good memories - you led after round one of the ANZ Masters last year?

Lee-Anne: Yes I like playing there. I have played a lot of golf on the coast of South Africa where the conditions are very similar to where we play in Aus. It feels a bit like home really.

Golf365: Final question - your fellow South African golfers like Ernie Els and David Frost have their own wine. If things went well and you got the chance what would you make - a fruity red, crisp white or a light rose?!

Lee-Anne: I love red wine so that would definitely be my first choice.

MALLORY BLACKWELDER: the 22-year-old American has the golfing genes - her mother Myra played on the LPGA Tour and her father is a successful LPGA caddie who will work with Mallory in 2010.

Golf365: Hi Mallory, there have been many father-son combinations on the PGA but you and your mother are the first on the LPGA. Any idea why the mother-daughter combo is so rare?

Mallory: I am not sure why it is so rare for a mother-daughter combination to play professional golf, but I am excited to be the first!

Golf365: Your father's success as caddie is a direct consequence of knowing exactly when and how to impart advice. Is looping for you almost like the ultimate test of those skills!?

Mallory: It may be! My dad and I team up really, really well though. I trust him to give me the correct information and advice because he is so experienced. I am so thankful to be able to work with him this year as a rookie because I truly think it will be a huge advantage for me.

Golf365: What was the theory in you taking the LET route?Mallory: Last year, my dad kind of saw the direction that the LPGA was going. He knew there would be a very limited number of full-field events and saw that it would be difficult to break through and get high enough on the money list to have a lot of playing opportunities. He wanted to explore the idea of playing on the LET because if you get off to a good start you can play your way into the Evian Masters and the Women's British Open, two LPGA events, and then possibly play well enough in those to improve LPGA status once they re-shuffle the priority list. The LET has a great schedule and number of events and we just felt like it would be a great opportunity to play!

Golf365: Will it be a case of making lots of new friends - or do you know some girls on Tour?

Mallory: This year there were more Americans that tried to qualify, so I know a few people. And I also know most of the girls who played college golf in America. But I am excited to make new friends on the tour!

Golf365: We've noticed on Twitter that you don't like early wake-up calls. We're guessing you prefer afternoon tee times then?!

Mallory: Ha ha, I am NOT a morning person at all, however, when it comes to competing I actually do prefer morning tee times! It's just on off days that I don't want to get out of bed until noon :)

Golf365: Final question - who decides the percentage your father is on!? Did your mother act as mediator?!

Mallory: That is a great question! Right now, we are still discussing how it is all going to work! We are going to try and have the same player-caddie relationship that any other player and caddie would have when it comes to the money though.

MARIAJO URIBE: the 20-year-old Colombian was the US Amateur champion in 2007 and finished tenth in the following year's US Open to be low amateur for the week. She turned pro in 2009.

Golf365: Hola Mariajo, first of all congratulations for qualifying for both the LPGA and LET. Q Schools are known as very tense events, how do you think you coped?

Mariajo: It wasn't as stressful as I thought it was going to be. I just tried to stay in the present and enjoy every moment of the competition. The hardest part was the bad weather we had to deal with in both events specially in Spain.

Golf365: They were both delayed because of that weather - did you think they would ever end?

Mariajo: It was really frustrating to look out every morning and see bad weather either coming or already there. When I was in Florida, I kind of liked the idea of resting for one day and getting ready to finish strong. But in Europe I just wanted it to be over so I could be back home for the holidays.

Golf365: Now you've qualified for both what's the plan for the year - will you split between the two tours?

Mariajo: I am planning to play as many LPGA tournaments as I can and play at least six events on the LET to retain my status. The main goal is to improve my Rolex world ranking standings.

Golf365: You had two years at UCLA but then turned pro. What was the reason behind that decision - had you learned all you could from college golf? Or where you just desperate to get out on Tour?

Mariajo: It was a pretty hard decision to make. I felt that college golf gave me some of the things I need to be sucessful on tour but at the same time it was time to come back to Colombia and gain a better sense of my family, culture and myself. I decided that the path to follow in life was on tour, and tried to follow the best process to get to the top of the rankings someday.

Golf365: Your fellow Colombian Camilo Villegas is famous for the way he reads a putt. Can you do it?

Mariajo: I actually can do it! It is just a unique fancy way to get as close to the ground as you can, I use it a lot when the greens have huge slopes.

Golf365: Final question - when most golfers shout "fore!" it means bad news. But it means good news in your case. Can you explain?

Mariajo: LOL, FORE is my foundation and main life goal. I want to built learning centers all over Colombia where kids can manage their free time more efficiently and get the opportunities I had to get where I am today. The idea is to provide them with all the material, counselling and help they need to reach their goals. I believe that Colombia's situation will change when people's cultural and intellectual levels improve.

Thanks to all four girls and good luck to each of them in 2010.

Matt Cooper