Many threaten Webb's domination of the ANZ Ladies Masters
IN: News | ALPG | ANZ Ladies Masters (2003) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 18 Feb 2003
Karrie Webb starts the raging hot favourite for this week's ANZ Australian Ladies Masters, but the quality of many in the field will ensure that she will need to be on her game to win the event for the fifth time in her last six attempts.
In addition to her four Masters wins to date have been two second place performances, one to Canadian Gail Graham in 1997, and the other to Annika Sorenstam last year.
Webb enters this week's event in great physical shape, having lost several kilos in recent weeks and looking fit and rearing to go. Her recent performance at the Conagra Skins event in Hawaii where she dominated the event, winning twelve of the skins and $US470,000, suggests that her game, is also in great shape.
Interesting to see that Karrie is now playing the Srixon H-Brid Tour ball after having been a Titleist player until recently. Titleist's loss will be Srixon's gain and the reasons behind the switch are not apparent although it appears that Titleist have significantly reduced the number of players contracted to use their ball in recent times, especially outside the USPGA Tour. Robert Allenby is also a recent convert to the Srixon Hi-Brid Tour ball, although Allenby switched from Maxfli.
While Webb looks a great chance to regain her title, other interest in the event will include the appearance of Laura Diaz, Lorena Ochoa, Beth Bauer and Natalie Gulbis, who collectively represent the immediate future of North American golf.
Diaz won twice last year and was a star of the Solheim Cup, winning three points including her singles win over Paula Marti, and finished the year in seventh place on the money list. It was a milestone year for the 27-year-old that interestingly enough was the winner of the Rookie of the Year title on the European Tour in 1998. She has played well here previously under her maiden name Philo and although early in the year, may well show up near the top of the leaderboard.
Speaking of rookies of the year, Beth Bauer starts her 2003 campaign in this event having won that title on the USLPGA Tour last year. She was six times in the top ten and fifteen times in the top twenty in 2003. She had been Rookie of the Year on the Futures Tour in 2001 so has made a brilliant start to her professional career.
Lorena Ochoa is arguably the most exciting youngster in Ladies golf. At 21, the Mexican was a standout while attending the University of Arizona and after turning pro in May of 2002, she won three events on the Futures Tour and gained her card for the USLPGA in 2003. She was eighth last year in one of her first majors, the Nabisco, and looks capable of anything. She is diminutive in physique but that belies an outstanding game.
Natalie Gulbis has it all, a great game and the looks that will ensure that she is a success both on and off course. She, too, was a member of the University of Arizona Team playing on the same team as Ochoa. In her rookie year last year in the US she had three top tens and finished second to Bauer in the Rookie of the Year title.
These are the players that are likely to challenge the likes of Sorenstam, Webb, Pak and others in the years ahead.
Rachel Teske, who was second to Webb here in 2001, has had her best year in 2002 and looks set to take her game into the elite level. She was a little rusty last week at the ALPG Championship in Port Stephens, but at her best, she can win this week.
Others of interest will be Paula Marti, who last year won the Evian Order of Merit on the Ladies European Tour, Michelle Ellis who was twice second on the USLPGA Tour in 2002 including the Women's British Open, perennial favourite Laura Davies, major winner Kelly Robbins, Scots Janice Moodie and Catriona Matthew, Swedes Sophie Gustafson and Maria Hjorth, Norway's Suzann Pettersen plus a host of emerging Australian players such as Nikki Campbell and Rebecca Coakley.
On paper Webb is head and shoulders above the rest in terms of achievement, she has won six majors, the rest of the field combined have won five, four of which have been won by Laura Davies and one by Robbins. Everything points to another Webb win but this is golf and do not be surprised if at least one of the above emerges to make it a great contest.
