Strong field for Women's NZ Open

BY Liz White | ALPG Tour | 2010 New Zealand Women's Open | Preview | 23 Feb 2010

A top class field will take on the Women’s New Zealand Open this week, which starts on Thursday at the Pegasus Golf Course in Christchurch.

Headlining the act will be defending champion, Frenchwoman Gwladys Nocera, who is looking forward to getting her 2010 season off to a good start.

“I need to play really well because the field is really good so it is going to be a tough week,” she said.

“It is the first tournament of the season it is hard to say anything, but I guess if I play my game and not worry about what is happening in the other groups, we will see what happens on Sunday night.

“I am feeling good, I think I am probably lacking rounds of golf because the weather was really bad back home but I really want to play.”

The tournament will be contested at the newly-opened Cristie Kerr designed course in Pegasus Town and boasts an upgraded purse of $400,000 in just its second year.

“The course is really nice, really good condition and I think it is going to be very windy so I think it is going to be quite interesting, " Nocera said.

After an early practice round with no wind on Tuesday, Gwladys found it hard to pinpoint which holes may play the toughest, although she did single out some of the par threes.

“There are a few holes where you really have to put the ball in the right position “and with the wind it will be tricky, I am thinking around hole 16,” she said.

“But with the par threes some of them are long and with the wind into us they may be difficult.”

The Women’s New Zealand Open is a co-sanctioned event for the first time between the ALPG and the Ladies European Tour and hence several of the LET stars have made the trip.

The tournament boasts eight winners from the LET tour last year, including dual winner Marianne Skarpnord from Norway and Becky Brewerton from Wales.

Brewerton came third on the LET Henderson Money list after winning the Spanish Open and securing a total of 11 top ten finishes for the season.

“Becky is in really good form, she played very well last year,” Nocera said

“I think she is one to look at.”

Joining Brewerton are fellow LET winners Tania Elosegui, Linda Wessberg, Felicity Johnson, Azahara Munoz and current Australian Open champion, Laura Davies.

The Australasian contingent is lead by the four Sarahs, LPGA players, Sarah Kemp and Sarah Jane Smith along with recent back-to-back NSW open winner, Sarah Oh and the local hope, Sarah Nicholson. Nikki Garrett, who finished runner up at last year’s NZ Open, may well go one better while also hoping to put in a good showing is West Australian Kristie Smith.

With her shiny new 2010 LET Tour Card in her pocket, the 21-year-old is also one to watch and will be keen to post a solid showing in her first LET event of the year.

The 2008 Australian Amateur Champion knows how to shoot the low numbers, blazing a 9 under 64 at the Royal Canberra Classic in January and a very impressive 10 under 62 at last year’s ANZ Ladies Masters.

The Pegasus course is 25 kilometres north of Christchurch and is nestled on the edge of Pegasus Bay. The wind will almost certainly prove a deciding factor in the outcome and that is just the way Nocera likes it.

Last year Nocera was able to master the winds to win the New Zealand Open at Clearwater Resort after starting the day five shots back from the tournament leader, Sarah Oh.

As the winds whipped up so too did the skill of the Frenchwoman’s game and she came home in three under 69 to claim the first ever Women’s New Zealand Open.

If it’s windy bring it on, says Gwladys.

“I focus better, I play shots like hitting low or high or whatever, I guess I actually play more than when it is not windy,” she said.

“That’s what I like.”