Bell ready to win back Tour card

Rachel Bell turned professional a year ago

Ganton golfer Rachel Bell is getting ready to regain her European Tour card after illness affected her season.

The 26-year old missed tournaments in 2008 after suffering from glandular fever meaning that she now has to go back to qualifying school.

She plays in the final stages in Spain from 12 January and she told BBC Radio York: "I'm playing quite steady.

"I've been working on my swing and everything so I'm quite happy with how things are going."

Bell said her first season on tour was going well until her illness.

"I'd had not a bad run up until then, I'd made four or five cuts in a row and I finished 11th in one tournament and 15th in another in Portugal so I was playing quite well.

"I was really happy with my game and then I came back from Tenerife and unfortunately I got glandular fever so I missed a big chunk of the rest of the season.

"From then on it's just been a battle really to get back fit and try and get the golf back to where it was before."

Hopefully I can start getting a few top 10 finishes and really pushing on from there and threatening some of the other girls to start to win tournaments

Rachel Bell

Bell said she is feeling much better now she wants to learn from her experiences in 2008 and taken them on into the new season.

"With the glandular fever and the different lifestyle you need for the tour it's taught me to improve my scheduling and time management when I'm back here, so I'm making sure I'm getting plenty of rest and don't try to over do it.

"Then for the rest of the season, just try to stay healthy and use all the knowledge I've got this year about different golf courses and what's best to do on tour.

"Hopefully I can start getting a few top 10 finishes and really pushing on from there and threatening some of the other girls to start to win tournaments."