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| The Tenerife Open de España Femenino defending champion Melissa Reid |
The Tenerife Open de España Femenino, taking place at Golf Las Américas in the Canary Islands from September 20-23 this week, features a glittering cast of former champions.
Melissa Reid will be in Tenerife looking to defend the title she won at La Quinta Golf on the Costa Del Sol last September, where she ended a stroke clear of Beth Allen, Lee-Anne Pace and Tania Elosegui.
Aside from Reid, who earned her fourth LET trophy in Prague earlier this summer, Laura Davies will be aiming for her third Spanish title having won in 2010 at Flamingos Golf and in 1986 at La Manga Club.
The 12-time Solheim Cup player has 45 victories on the Ladies European Tour and has won the order of merit seven times.
The English pair will be joined by Becky Brewerton of Wales, who won the 2009 title in Panoramica and Australian Nikki Garrett, who won in 2007 at Country Club Mediterráneo Castellón, a week after winning in Tenerife. She also tied for second at the 2008 Open de España Femenino.
Both Brewerton and Garrett are also fans of Tenerife, where they have also triumphed in recent history. Brewerton won the Tenerife Ladies Matchplay at Golf Las Américas last June, a non-official LET event in which Garrett tied for second with Spain’s own Carlota Ciganda. Brewerton has also recorded several top five finishes in Tenerife including three second place finishes in 2009, 2004 and 2003 as an amateur. Garrett won the Tenerife Open at Golf del Sur in 2007.
Other former winners of the Tenerife Ladies Open in the field include Trish Johnson (Buenavistas Golf Club, 2010); Felicity Johnson (Golf Costa Adeje, 2009), Rebecca Hudson (Golf Costa Adeje, 2008); Diana Luna (Buenavista Golf Club, 2004) and Elisabeth Esterl (Golf Las Américas, 2003).
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| Spanish hopeful Carlota Ciganda |
A total of 126 players, including 17 Spanish competitors, will compete over four days from Thursday to Sunday with a cut to the leading 60 professionals and those tied after the second round.
The Spanish contingent includes leading LET rookie Carlota Ciganda, who is now second on the ISPS Handa Order of Merit after she tied for 17th place at the Ricoh Women’s British Open on Sunday.
Ciganda made her professional debut at Golf Las Américas in the Tenerife Match Play last year. In this, her rookie season, she has posted six top ten finishes so far including a maiden win in Holland.
There are three Spanish amateurs in the field this year: Lucia Cortezo Castillo, Lara Hernandez Arteaga and Patricia Sanz.
There are seven of this year’s LET tournament champions with Reid and Ciganda joined by Lydia Hall, Caroline Masson, Line Vedel, Carly Booth and Karen Lunn.
The Tenerife Open de España Femenino is the only Spanish tournament on the Ladies European Tour schedule in 2012 and is being played with the sponsorship of the Canarias Government, Tenerife Tourism and Reale Seguros (Reale Insurance) with the support of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation and Canarias Golf Federation.
Organised and promoted by Deporte & Business, the list of tournament sponsors includes Lacoste, Kyocera, Hospiten and Arona Town Council, as well as supplier AVIS Canarias, Air Europa, Bahlsen, Callaway, Fonteide, Coca-Cola and PING.
Access to the course and car parking is free for all spectators.
About Golf Las Américas:
Opened in 1998
Address: c / Landa Golf, 22; Playa de Las Americas (Arona)
Phone: 922 75 20 05
Fax number: 922 79 52 50
Email: info@golf-tenerife.com
Designer: John Jacobs
Number of holes: 18
Tournament course: 6403 yards / 5855 metres; Par 72 (36-36)
Tournament website: www.openfemenino.com
Prize fund: €350,000
First prize: €52,500
