ALPG/LET - GALAXY OF STARS SET FOR ANZ

(3 March 2010 – Gold Coast, Australia)

The 2010 ANZ Ladies Masters gets underway at the RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast of Queensland tomorrow, the field including three of the four major winners in women’s golf in 2009. Brittany Lincicome (Kraft Nabisco Championsship), Anna Nordqvist (McDonald’s LPGA Championship) and Eun-Hee Ji (US Women’s Open) are those major winners but the field is further strengthened by the inclusion of the world sixth ranked player, Yani Tseng, multiple winners of this event, Karrie Webb and Laura Davies, and defending champion Katherine Hull.

Although significant, even the late withdrawal from the event by Norway’s Suzann Pettersen, the world number four ranked player, is unlikely to have a major impact on the tournament given the remarkable depth that remains in the field. Pettersen notified tournament organisers early on Tuesday that a hip complaint had been aggravated and despite arriving on the Gold Coast from last week’s HSBC event in Singapore, she will not take her place in the field.

This year’s event will be the 21st staging of a tournament that has become synonymous with Australian Women’s golf. The tournament moved to Royal Pines from the nearby Palm Meadows in 1992 and the combination of a long term venue and now long term sponsor (ANZ) have ensured the growth of the event into what it has now become.

The biggest issue facing tournament organisers this week is the current rain shadow that has been hanging over South East Queensland for the past two weeks. More rain is expected on an already saturated Royal Pines layout before the tournament gets underway on Thursday and there is an increasing likelihood that the schedule of the event may be impacted in some way.

Tseng has played the golf course well, regularly finishing inside the top five in her appearances here since 2005. Her power game is ideally suited to the Royal Pines layout and with two third placed finishes in Thailand and Singapore in the past fortnight, Tseng stands a very good chance to continue her good record on the Gold Coast.

Webb played well in her first event of the season in Thailand when finishing 8th and the six time winner and the name that most associate with this event is sure to offer her local fans plenty to cheer about. Webb believes the fact that this event comes a little later in the season could potentially mean the quality of golf on display will be even higher than in previous years. “I don’t have any excuse I guess,” she joked referring to the fact that she and many others have played at least two tournaments already in 2010. “It should make the standard of golf this week and next week of a better quality as normally this event has been the first of the season.”

Hull’s five shot win in 2009 was as impressive as it was emphatic. He form in 2010 is perhaps not at the same level it was on arrival at Royal Pines last year but she finished last week’s event in Singapore off well and a successful defence is not beyond her. Hull did finish runner up at the recent event in Canberra and at the NSW Open but in her two latest starts in Asia she was not at her peak.
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rnDavies is a three time winner at Royal Pines and her impressive win at last week’s Pegasus New Zealand Women’s Open has her primed for a fourth victory. While the established stars will provide a great depth to the field, it may well be one of the many new and rising stars of world golf who could emerge as the champion in 2010. Norway’s, Marianne Skarpnord, and rookie, Pernilla Lindberg, finished in a share of second at last week’s New Zealand Women’s Open and both are now proud owners of LPGA Tour cards for 2010. Skarpnord won twice on the Ladies European Tour last year and seems set for a very successful professional career. Lindberg put together a stunning final round at the Pegasus New Zealand Women’s Open last week, bettering Skarpnord’s opening round of 65 with a 63 on the final day. The 23 year old won the World Amateur Championship in 2008 and now has playing rights in both Europe and the US.

Another to excel at the LPGA Tour School in 2009 was Amanda Blumenhurst who finished as the leading qualifier there. A highly decorated amateur she is likely to go on to a very successful professional career and her appearance at Royal Pines offers a great opportunity for local fans to observe the early stages in the career of a budding star.

Korea’s Hee Young Park has developed into a fine young player and much more is expected from her in the not too distant future. The rookie of the year on the Korean Ladies Tour in 2005 graduated to the LPGA Tour in 2008 and has done very well since, winning more than US$600,000 in 2009. One of the best swingers of a golf club in the game, it would not surprise if the 22 year old became just the second Korean winner in the history of the event following Amy Yang’s success in 2006.

Last year’s joint runner up, So Yeon Ryu, completed a brilliant season on the Korean Ladies Golf Tour in 2009, finishing runner up on that Tour’s money list. Ryu recorded three consecutive wins in 2009 and late in the year won the China Ladies Open. The 19 year old is yet another Korean golfer with a big future in the game.

Of the Australians other than Webb and Hull, Lindsey Wright, last year’s other joint runner up Tamie Durdin, last week’s joint runner up in Christchurch, Sarah Kemp, and course record holder and recent Canberra winner, Kristie Smith, must be respected.

The tournament carries a purse of $AUD 600,000 and will be televised via a two hour highlights package on ONE HD on Friday and live via ONE HD and Network Ten on Saturday and Sunday.
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