This year the Bing Lee Samsung Women’s NSW Open has a truly international flavour with players from 15 countries competing. The French quartet of Gwladys Nocera, Sophie Giquel-Bettan, Virginie Lagoutte-Clement and Joanna Klatten are sure to make their presence felt during the tournament. Nocera, who now plays full-time on the LPGA, won 10 times on the Ladies European Tour (LET) prior to taking her game to the States. 2008 was her best year in Europe, she won five titles and finished top of the Money List. Nocera has played previously at Open and came close to winning in 2008 when she finished tied for 7th. Lagoutte-Clement is a three time winner of the LET and is a proud mother of 3 year old daughter Victoria. In 2011 she had another consistent year with three top 5 finishes and finished 26th on the Henderson Money List with just over Euro 80,000. It will be her debut appearance at the tournament. Giquel-Bettan is also a winner on the LET, in 2011 she played 21 events with her best result being runner-up in the Ladies Swiss Open. She amassed Euro 88,000 to finish 22nd on the Henderson Money List. Giquel-Bettan will be also making her first appearance at the event. While, 26 year old Klatten is a relatively newcomer to the professional ranks. Entering her second year on the LET, the Frenchwoman is competing in Australia on the ALPG for the first time. Her career on the ALPG couldn’t have started better, in her first appearance on the tour she won in dramatic circumstances the Victorian Women’s Open on one of the famous sandbelt courses. Klatten ultimately won on the second playoff hole over South Korean Haeji Kang. The majority of the crowd and players assumed that Klatten had the tournament in the bag when she held a two shot lead over Kang, who was playing the par 4 18th. However, Kang, out of the right hand rough, holed her second shot from approximately 110 metres to force a playoff. For more information on who is playing at the Women&aposs NSW Open go to http://www.womensnswopen.com.au
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