Shin and Tseng head Women’s Open field

BY Bruce Young | ALPG Tour | 2011 Women's Australian Open | Preview | 01 Feb 2011

The ISPS Handa Australian Women’s Open begins on Thursday at the Commonwealth Golf Club in Oakleigh South in Melbourne when the world number one, Jiyai Shin, and defending champion and world number five, Yani Tseng, take on many of Australia and Europe’s best.

The venue for this week’s event was originally built in the early 1920’s with the Club’s first professional Sam Bennett, its early Captain Charles Lane, and long serving Club Manager Sloan Morpeth all responsible in the evolution of the layout through its first 40 years or so.

The venue has surprisingly played host to the Australian Open on only one occasion (1967) but the Women’s Open was held here in 2010 and received great accolades both in terms of its presentation and its quality as a layout.

Eleven months ago Yani Tseng produced one of the great rounds in the history of Australian Women’s golf, her final round of 66 allowing her to overtake the likes of Karrie Webb and Laura Davies to win by three over Davies. Tseng, who would later in 2010 win two majors in women’s golf, was the only player to break 70 during the final round on the demanding layout providing further evidence of her class.

This year Tseng will be challenged by Shin in terms of favouritism for the event and although neither has played a competitive event in close to two months both are such classy players they should feature this week. For Shin this will be her only event in Australia in 2011 although Tseng will also tee it up at next week’s ANZ Ladies Masters on the Gold Coast.

Shin recorded a superb year in 2010 winning twice on the LPGA Tour and finishing inside the top three on five other occasions. That level of consistency in the US and further victories in Japan took her to the top of the world ranking by year’s end, finishing ahead of American Cristie Kerr and Suzann Pettersen.

Shin has been in the US in recent weeks practicing and although she might not be at her peak this week she has become such an outstanding player that she could well challenge for the title in any case. Three years ago Shin was the victim of an amazing Karrie Webb finishing burst at this event when Webb birdied her final two holes at Kingston Heath and then went on to win with a birdie at the second extra hole of the playoff.

While Shin and Tseng may be the only two players from the top ten in the Rolex Rankings and may be the pre tournament favourites in many people’s eyes, this is an event that is very much wide open.

Former winners Karrie Webb and Laura Davies are the most credentialed players in the field with more than 130 victories between them worldwide and a total of eleven major championships to their names. Webb, a four time Australian Women’s Open winner, produces some of her best golf in front of her home crowds and although she is playing her first event of 2011 this week she has often shown some of her best form early in the year.

Davies has played two lesser events in recent weeks without any great success but has had the benefit therefore of dusting off some early rust. Her near miss in this event last year and her great victory at the Metropolitan Golf Club the previous year further highlights her capacity to play the great courses well and she will be primed for improvement this week.

Katherine Hull has played well in recent weeks and while yet to win her own National Open this week provides a great opportunity for her. The two time LPGA Tour event winner and former winner of the ANZ Ladies Masters is at a stage in her career where a victory against this field is not beyond her and she is a very good chance to head the Australians at least.

South African Lee-Anne Pace was a standout on last year’s Ladies European Tour and although she made a slow start to the year last week in Canberra she is such a good player that a significant improvement is likely.

Frenchwoman Gwladys Nocera is another with the credentials to do well in this event. Like Pace she was a little disappointing in Canberra but could improve. Working against Nocera is a horror experience last year at this event over this layout when she recorded rounds of 84 and 78 to miss the cut by a huge margin.

Of great interest this week will be the appearance of two teenage amateur stars in recent weeks. 13 year old New Zealander, Lydia Ko, went so close to winning the NSW Women’s Open recently and is clearly a remarkable young talent.

Queenslander Ashley Ona was another to fight above her weight when the 19 year old won the ActewAGL Royal Canberra Classic last week. The former Australian Girls Champion and current NSW Women’s Amateur Champion surprised many last week and just how she and Ko will perform against this stronger field and in what is effectively a much bigger arena will be keenly anticipated.

Other Australians who could feature are Lindsey Wright, who finished 6th in this event last year, one of Australia’s brightest young hopes Kristie Smith, LPGA Tour player Sarah-Jane Smith and promising rookies Stacey Keating and Alison Whitaker.