Webb Leads Aussie Charge in Second Major
LPGA Tour | 2011 Wegmans LPGA Championship | Preview | 23 Jun 2011
World Golf Hall of Fame member Karrie Webb will lead the Australian contingent into the second major of the LPGA season when the Wegmans LPGA Championship tees off this Friday (Australian time) at the Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York.
Seven time major championship winner Webb is joined by compatriots Lindsey Wright, Katherine Hull, Sarah Kemp and Sarah-Jane Smith.
Locust Hill has hosted an LPGA event each year since 1977, and this will be the second time the course has hosted the LPGA Championship. In preparation for hosting the Championship last year, 141 yards was added to the length of the course which will once again play at 6,505 yards.
Webb has already tasted victory twice this year and has found memories of Locust Hill, having won LPGA events at the course in 1999 and 2001, “I certainly enjoy playing Locust Hill. I have won there twice, so it does give me a good feeling when I get to the course.” Webb said.
In terms of the key to scoring well, Webb stated “I think the key to scoring at Locust is to drive the ball well. The fairways are some of the tightest I’ve played. From there if you’re driving it well, the aim is to convert the opportunities you give yourself and of course, when you miss the fairways you have to make the up and downs.”
Of her form coming into this week, she added “It has been a little up and down. I think with the start-stop in the schedule it has been difficult to get a real rhythm to my game. I have seen some good signs and I am excited to play this week and at the bigger tournaments coming up in the next month or so. With the couple of wins at the start of the year, I know that if I get things going I have a chance to win."
The defending champion is American Cristie Kerr, who seemingly played a different course to everyone last year, when she won by a massive 12 strokes over South Korean Song-Hee Kim.
Kerr, a notorious slow starter to the year, has hit form of late, finishing runner-up to Norway’s Suzann Pettersen in the Sybase Match Play Championship in May, and has since posted another two runner-up finishes at the ShopRite and State Farm LPGA Classics.
In order for Kerr to defend she will have to outgun current Rolex Rankings No.1 Yani Tseng, who has returned to form after winning the State Farm Classic at her last start. Kraft Nabisco Champion, American Stacy Lewis is another likely to contend. She is slowly getting use to managing her media and playing schedules since her major win and has a game which suits the major championship setup.
Lindsey Wright has found some form of late with a second place finish at the LPGA’s HSBC Brasil Cup three weeks ago. She is a former runner-up in this championship (2009) and will be chasing her first LPGA title while Katherine Hull is looking to find some form as she seeks her first major title after going so close when runner-up to Tseng at the 2010 Ricoh Women’s British Open.
The tournament offers prizemoney of US$2,500,000.
-ALPG
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