Date: February 16, 2010
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Queen Sirikit team set for New Zealand

Golf Australia has announced the Australian team to compete in the 2010 Queen Sirikit Cup at Hamilton Golf Club in New Zealand from 7-9 April. The Australian team members are: Ebony Heard (SA), Stacey Keating (VIC) and Justine Lee (NSW). In 2009, Heard won the Queensland Women’s Stroke Play championship following runner-up finishes at the Srixon Australian Women’s Stroke Play Championship and the Victorian Women’s Stroke Play. For Keating it will be the second consecutive appearance at the Queen Sirikit tournament after she played at Nirwana Golf Club in Bali last year. The Victorian s recent results include wins at The Dunes Medal in December and at the Elvie Whitesides Tasmanian Women’s Stroke Play championship. Lee, the current Srixon Australian Amateur champion, will play the Queen Sirikit tournament for the first time following a stellar year in 2009 which included multiple victories as well as finishing as the leading amateur at the Women’s Australian Open. Golf Australia Chairman of Selectors Ian Read said We have come up with a mixture of experience and exciting youth, rewarding those players with good performances in Australian ranking tournaments. The Queen Sirikit tournament is highly respected in women’s amateur golf in the Asia Pacific region and we have every reason to be confident of a strong performance from our team in New Zealand. The team manager is Jane Searle (NSW) and Dennise Hutton (NSW) will coach the Australian team at the Queen Sirikit for the second consecutive time. The championship is hosted annually on a rotation basis among 14 invited member countries with the objectives of promoting the standard of women’s golf in the region and to promote goodwill and friendship among participating teams. Each country is represented by 2-3 national team players who compete in the 54-holes stroke play over 3 rounds. Australia last won the tournament in 2001. Korea are the defending champions.