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All of the top players are present in Panorámica this week where Emma Zackrisson defends the Open de España Femenino, from 16-19 July.
The Swede secured her maiden Ladies European title at last year’s edition by a four stroke margin over three other players: Italian Diana Luna along with Australians Nikki Garrett and Joanne Mills.
In addition to Zackrisson, there are three other recent winners of the Spanish Open in the field: Denmark’s Iben Tinning (2005 at Panorámica), New Zealander Lynn Brooky (2006 at Panorámica) and Garrett (2007 at CC Mediterraneo in Castellon).
Luna, equal second at last year’s event, won back-to-back at the recent AIB Ladies Irish Open and SAS Ladies Masters in Norway. She will bring enormous confidence back to Panorámica, located near San Jorge in Castellón and will attempt to become only the second player in LET history to win three consecutive events back-to-back since Marie Laure de Lorenzi in 1989.
The tournament, with a €275,000 prize fund, features its strongest ever field and is the third last event to count towards qualification for The 2009 European Solheim Cup Team.
The 2009 Open de España Femenino features eight of this year’s tournament champions, namely: Laura Davies (England), Christel Boeljon (Netherlands), Marjet van der Graaff (Netherlands), Marianne Skarpnord (Norway), Jade Schaeffer (France), Tania Elosegui, (Spain) Johanna Westerberg (Sweden) and Diana Luna (Italy).
The players competing represent 26 different nationalities, led by the English contingent (19 players), Spanish (16, including five amateurs), French and Swedish (both with 12 representatives) as well as players from South Korea, India, Paraguay, Thailand, Russia, New Zealand and the Czech Republic.
Last year’s win remains Zackrisson’s crowning achievement on the Ladies European Tour but last year she went on to record three further top ten finishes. This year her best result has been fourth at the 2009 Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open.
