Australian Senior Golfer

TAIWANESE livewire Yani Tseng has taken her second straight Handa Women’s Australian Open with a commanding performance in Melbourne.

The World No.5 calmly fired a 2 under par 71 to street the field by 7 strokes, one of the biggest margins in the tournament’s history.

Tseng has made no secret of her ambitions to take the top spot in women’s golf this year and after her almost faultless four round performance you would be brave person to bet against her.

“I just feel more confident and relaxed. Before I was thinking too much and trying to win. Now I know I don’t need it. I stay focused on my swing and play one shot at a time. I know I can win,” the 22 year old said.

World No.1 Jiyai Shin – the player friends have nicknamed “Chalk Line” because of her dead-straight drives – hit some uncharacteristic wayward shots in the trying final day conditions at the Commonwealth Golf Club and her expected late charge just didn’t happen.

Shin finished in equal second place with fellow Korean Eun Hee Ji and English up and comer Melissa Reid, who sprinted home with three birdies on the final three holes for a fine 68.

Best placed Australians were Queenslanders Katherine Hull and Karrie Webb, who finished tied for 7th at 5 under.

Both had frustrating tournaments. Hull started the day at 8 under but lost strokes and blew the chance of making a challenge, whilst Webb, the only other player to win the title back to back, picked up strokes but began just too far off the pace.

KATHERINE HULL will be one of the leading contenders when the 2011 Handa Australian Women’s Open gets underway this week.

The 28 year old Queenslander will battle a host of local and international stars at the Commonwealth Golf Club on Victoria’s famous sand belt.

To win the title Hull will have to overcome the likes of Australia’s long time women’s champion Karrie Webb, Korean World Number 1 Jiyai Shin, Britain’s perennial favourite Laura Davies and the about to be 16 year old US teenage sensation Lexi Thompson.

The 2011 Handa Australian Women’s Open will be held from February 3 – 6.

You can go here for details on attending the event or watch the afternoon sessions live on ABC TV.

The ABC will televise the Australian Women’s Open Thursday and Friday from 3pm – 6pm, with the 3rd round from 2pm – 6pm on Saturday and the final day on Sunday from 1pm – 6pm.

Yani takes 2011 Handa Australian Women’s Open

AMERICAN Robyn Puckett has become the first international player to win the Australian Women’s Senior Amateur Championship after a week of closely contested golf at the Commonwealth Golf Club in Melbourne.

The Australian-born Puckett defeated Queensland’s Josie Ryan in the final on Friday 3&2.

Puckett easily accounted for defending champion Sylvia Donohoe with a 6&4 win in her semi-final on Thursday. The American came through the two stroke play rounds as the top qualifier.

“It’s been such a great week and everyone has made me feel so welcome,” Puckett said.

“The level of sportsmanship this week has been fantastic and hopefully I’ll be able to come back next year.”

The final match was square through the front nine before Puckett won holes 10, 15 and seal victory with a par putt on the 16th hole.

Despite the loss, Ryan finished top of the Australian Women’s Senior Ranking System for 2010.

SIX time winner Sylvia Donohoe will be defending her national title when the 2010 Australian Women’s Senior Amateur Championship gets underway at the Commonwealth Golf Club in Victoria on Monday October 23.

Last year’s runner up, Lyn Townsend, who like Donohoe also hails from NSW, will lead the challenge by an impressive field that includes top ranked senior players Ros Fisher of Western Australia, Josie Ryan of Queensland and Wendy O’Connell of Queensland.

International players Robyn Puckett from the USA and Robin Boniface from New Zealand also highlight a top class field.

The championship kicks off on Monday with 36-holes of stroke play, with the leading 16 players qualifying for the match play rounds. The leading 8 players from four age flights will also qualify for their age match play rounds.

The country’s top senior amateur male players will also be in Victoria contesting the Australian Men’s Senior Match Play Championship at the Thirteenth Beach Golf Links.

WOMEN’S world number one golfer Lorena Ochoa has announced she will retire from the sport after three years at the top of the world rankings.

The 28-year-old said in a statement on her official website she wants to concentrate on her family and charity work.

Ochoa married Andres Conesa, chief executive of Aeromexico airlines, last December and became a stepmother of three children.
“Lorena Ochoa confirms her retirement from the LPGA, as news reports in some media have said today,” the website statement said.
“Reasons and more details on the matter will be given by Lorena personally in a press conference on Friday in Mexico City. Lorena will share this news of a new stage in her life with her sponsors, family members and friends.”
Ochoa, who won 27 events over the past six seasons, had been scheduled to play next week at an LPGA event near Mexico City but her status for that tournament is now uncertain.
Ochoa, who has missed the cut only four times in 172 LPGA events, finished fourth earlier this month in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, this year’s first women’s golf major. She failed to make the top-10 in three other 2010 starts.
Last season Ochoa claimed her fourth consecutive LPGA Player of the Year award. She won three times in 2009 after collecting seven titles in 2008, eight in 2007 and six in 2006.
Ochoa won her first major title in 2007 at the Women’s British Open and added another at the 2008 Kraft Nabisco.

TAIWAN’S Yani Tseng has blitzed the opposition with a  seven under final round 66 to take the 2010 Handa Australian Open at Melbourne’s Commonwealth Golf Club on Sunday.

Overnight leader Karrie Webb looked to have yet another Aussie tournament firmly in her grasp early on but seemingly ran out of gas to finish one over and outright third.

Tseng, the World No 6, finished three strokes ahead of defending champion Laura Davies, who had appeared to be Webb’s major threat throughout much of the event.

The 21 year old Taiwanese golfer played a near perfect bogey-free final round on the difficult sand belt course to end the event on a nine under total of 282.

“I haven’t had this feeling for a while so I am very happy,” she said of her first Australian victory.

Webb, who was bitterly disappointed with her final round, had admitted a few times she felt tired during the week of what was her fourth tournament in a row. These days she usually sticks to no more than three.

Webb had looked good early on, breaking away to a three shot lead after five holes, causing Tseng to remark to her caddie ‘Let’s try to get second place’.

“We just played our game and tried to be second and after 12 holes I thought: ‘Oh I am only two shots behind,’ maybe I need to play a little bit aggressive and smart.”

And she did, holing putts from everywhere and in her last six holes shooting four birdies.

Four time winner of the even Webb wasn’t offering any excuses.

“I didn’t feel as weary today on the course as I did yesterday although I know that it has been a long four weeks, not that I am going to use that as an excuse,” she said.

“I was feeling really good out there and then played a few scrappy holes on sicx and seven and I really lost some momentum there and just didn’t really hit it as good after that.

“I didn’t trust myself as much as I would have liked and then the putts weren’t going in and it was a tough struggle on the back nine.”

Australian Katherine Hull and Italy’s Giulia Sergas were next best on 4-under 288, a shot ahead of Australian Lindsey Wright.

DEFENDING champion Laura Davies is looking ominous after carding a first round five under 68 to lead the Handa Women’s Australian Open at Melbourne’s Commonwealth Golf Course.

Davies holed a 30 foot birdie putt on her final hole to take a two shot lead over the field.

In second place were Coonabarabran’s Rebecca Flood, Victorian amateur Alison Whittaker, Italy’s Giulia Sergas, Korea’s Soo-Jin Yang, England’s Felicity Johnson and Finland’s Jenni Kuosa.

A shot further back in a tie for 8th is World No 1 amateur, American Alexis Thompson, Australian No.3 Lindsey Wright and Austrian Stefanie Michl.

ANZ Ladies Masters winner Karrie Webb had a tough day, posting a three over par 40 on her outward nine but steadied the ship on the inward nine to finish even.

Her expected rival Katherine Hull was tied for 11th after a four birdie round that finished one under.

Davies was in a confident mood and after starting with a bogey plotted her way around the sandbelt course, often opting for a long iron off the tee.

“I took the decision to hit a couple of three irons that left me long shots in, but because I was swinging so well, I was not scared,” the 46 year old Englishwoman said.

“I had six birdies and a couple of up and downs to save good pars, which you have to do on a course like this. Luckily, I putted very well today.”

“I’ve come in here in a confident mood, thinking I am one of the players with a chance to win if I play well and putt well.”

Marquee players Davies, Webb, Hull, World No 6 Yani Tseng and World No 7, Anna Nordqvist will all tee off in tomorrow’s (Friday’s) afternoon field for the second round.

Television Coverage

ONE HD has second round television coverage from 2.30 to 6.30 pm on Friday and the final rounds will be on both TEN and ONE on the weekend.

Don’t ask us why they don’t have first round coverage (as they didn’t for the Ladies Masters).

As is usually the case with the Australian television system, it will be some (perfectly?) reasonable excuse totally incomprehensible to the average Joe.

It can’t be that ONE had an urgent need to show repeats of the Paintball and BMX instead – whatever it is those shows entail.

Live Leaderboard

TWO weeks of top class women’s golf is off to a fine start at the ANZ  Ladies Masters on the Gold Coast with defending champion Katherine Hull just one stroke behind the leader at the Royal Pines Resort.

Leading the top class international field is 23 year old rookie American Amanda Blumenherst, who fired an opening round 6 under 66.

In bright and breezy conditions there was little sign of the heavy rain that caused the cancellation of the Pro-Am earlier in the week.

Hull was happy with her performance, particularly her back nine where she birdied her 10th, 11th, 12th and 18th holes.

“It was pretty good out there. It was soggy walking off greens and onto tees but overall it was good,” Hull said.

World No 11 and six-time Masters winner Karrie Webb was one of a number of players a shot further back on 4 under 68. This group includes world no. 7 and last year’s LPGA rookie of the year, Anna Nordqvist and the Royal Pines course record holder, Kristie Smith.

The ANZ Ladies Masters will be followed next week by the 2010 Handa Women’s Australian Open, to be played Melbourne’s Commonwealth Golf Club, from March 11-14.

TEN @ ONE HD Television Coverage

Coverage of the Ladies Masters Second Round will be shown on ONE HD from 5.15 pm to 7.30 pm EDST Friday and the final rounds on TEN and ONE from 1pm – 5 pm Saturday and Sunday.

Live Leaderboard

THE Australian Women’s Open Golf Championship has received a big boost with news of a new two year naming rights sponsorship deal.

Dr Haruhisa Handa, the golf loving Japanese businessman who also sponsors the Australian Senior Open Golf Championship, has added the Women’s Open to the growing list of worldwide tournaments he sponsors.

The HANDA Women’s Australian Open will take place at the Commonwealth Golf Club in Melbourne from 11-14 March 2010.

Golf Australia CEO Stephen Pitt welcomed Dr Handa and said it would build tremendous excitement for what was already shaping to be a world-class championship.

“This is wonderful news for our championship,” Pitt said.

“Dr Handa has been involved in Australian golf for many years and we’re delighted that our national women’s championship will receive Dr Handa’s enthusiastic support over the coming two years.”

“The HANDA Women’s Australian Open continues to grow.  Early indications are that we will have perhaps the best field ever assembled for this championship. We are equally delighted that Commonwealth has agreed to host a major championship for the first time since 1967,” Pitt said.

Dr Handa’s support of golf was acknowledged further last week when he was made an official Patron of Golf Australia.

An accomplished composer, calligrapher, author, motivational speaker and opera singer, Dr Handa is the Honorary Chairman of the US LPGA Legends Tour.

He is also an advisor to the European Senior Tour and as well as currently sponsoring the Australian Senior Open and Australia Cup, recently announced his intention to sponsor four new events on the European Seniors Tour.

Dr Handa said he was pleased to be able continue his commitment to golf at all levels.

“It is my great honour to ensure the continuation of this significant event on the Australian golfing calendar and to continue my support of women’s golf in Australia,” Dr Handa said.

“I am already a strong supporter of women’s golf in the United States, through my involvement with the LPGA Legends Tour. The addition of the Women’s Australian Open to my sponsorship portfolio highlights my continued commitment to supporting golf at all levels. This includes my ongoing support of International Blind Golf and junior golf.”

Dr Handa has become the most significant personal (non-corporate) contributor to golf in Australia.

Golf Australia also confirmed the prize money for the Women’s Australian Open has increased to AU$600,000.

“We are absolutely committed to taking this championship to greater heights each year and increasing the prize money is an important element of that,” Pitt said.

IN perfect conditions at Royal Fremantle Golf Club, Sylvia Donohoe has claimed her sixth Australian Women’s Senior Amateur Championship.

Donohoe defeated Lynne Townsend on the 18th hole in the final day matchplay format, confirming her domination of Australian senior amateur women’s golf

Watched by many of their fellow competitors, the match was all square through 9 holes.

Donohoe, from Narooma on NSW’s south coast, was 2 up after the 13th and led 1up playing the 18th hole.

Townsend found trouble on the 18th and a two putt was enough for Donohoe to secure victory.

With her faithful caddie Pat on the bag, it was revenge for Donohoe after Townsend defeated her in the semi-finals of the NSW Women’s Senior Amateur earlier in the year.

In the Flight Matches, Sue Jones from Queensland defeated Kaye Hanson from WA in the New Age Division.

The local pressure was too much for Hanson, with Jones recording a comfortable 6&5 victory.

The Veterans Flight was the tightest of the contests, going to the 20th with Marion Clothier from Victoria claiming victory over Lu Proud from Tasmania.

In the Super Senior Flight, Margaret Leary from Tasmania defeated Diane Greenhill from Victoria 3&2. It was Margaret’s third Age Title, after she won the Veterans Flight in 2004 and 2006.

(Original Material courtesy of Golf Australia)