Last year’s runner-up Melissa Reid of England is hoping to go one better and win the fifth edition of the Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open, taking place this week at Golf Gerre Losone in the Ticino canton of southern Switzerland.
The number two ranked European player finished a stroke behind Norwegian Marianne Skarpnord at the 2009 tournament and has enjoyed three top-ten finishes in her last four starts on the Ladies European Tour this season, including earning her maiden win at the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open in May.
The Loughborough based 22-year-old said: “I’m massively looking forward to it. The course is one of the better courses we play all year and it’s always in good condition. It’s being played later this year so hopefully it will be even better.”
Reid, who also finished second at the UniCredit Ladies German Open, tied for eighth at the Allianz Ladies Slovak Open before finishing in a tie for 17th at the ABN AMRO Ladies Open two weeks’ ago. She is hoping to hit top form again at the biggest event of the season so far.
The Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open is the third biggest event on the Ladies European Tour circuit with a prize fund of €525,000 and €78,750 for the winner.
Whoever wins this week will also receive a place in the lucrative Evian Masters presented by Societe Generale and the Ricoh Women’s British Open, both taking place next month. For those who haven’t already earned their place, there are just three Ladies European Tour events from which to qualify, in Switzerland, Portugal and Tenerife.
“I think I’m going in the right direction,” said Reid. “In Slovakia: I had a bad last round and last week I didn’t hole any putts but my win in Turkey, it’s massively boosted my confidence. Golf Gerre Losone is a lovely course so I’m looking forward to playing happy golf.”
Nestled in a magical setting in a valley between Lake Maggiore and the low mountains in the Swiss Alps, the 6266-yard (5730-metre) par 72, Peter Harradine designed course is one of the most beautiful on the Ladies European Tour and was voted the players’ favourite course in a survey last year by Golf365.
In addition to Reid, the likes of Germany’s Anja Monke, who won the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco in March, and the recent ABN AMRO Ladies Open winner, Florentyna Parker of England, will be hoping to add another title to their 2010 seasons.
They are joined in the field by the in-form South African Ashleigh Simon, Solheim Cup players Becky Brewerton of Wales and Sweden’s Linda Wessberg plus the 2007 champion Bettina Hauert of Germany, all seeking their maiden victory of 2010.
