The 2007 Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship which will take place at The Alwoodley Golf Club from 12-16 June has attracted a record number of entries. More than 200 players from 21 countries worldwide have entered this year’s Championship, with overseas competitors representing more than 50% of the field.
In 2006 the young Spanish player Belen Mozo completed a historic double when she won both the Ladies’ and Girls’ British Open Amateur Championships in the same year, a feat not seen since Mickey Walker completed the same double in 1972. Mozo is unfortunately unable to defend her title but this does mean that a new name will be inscribed on the trophy.
Earlier this month the Great Britain and Ireland team won the Commonwealth Tournament in South Africa and the five team members, Krystle Caithness, Naomi Edwards, Breanne Loucks, Melissa Reid and Kerry Smith could realistically head the home challenge at this year’s event. Smith at 35, is one of the most experienced players in the field and has represented England for more than 10 years. During that time she played in the Curtis Cup, was English Champion and winner of the English Order of Merit in 2004 and represented GB & I in the Vagliano Trophy in 2005.
While Smith represents experience, Krystle Caithness represents youth and at only 18 has already started to build an impressive list of achievements. Prior to her recent GB & I selection, she had won both the Scottish Under-16 and Under-18 titles and next month will defend the St Rule Trophy over the Old Course, St Andrews.
Melissa Reid is another teenager with a real chance of doing well at Alwoodley. The 19-year-old played in the 2006 Curtis Cup and successfully defended the Helen Holm Scottish Stroke Play title at Troon earlier in the year. Breanne Loucks will also head to this year’s Championship in confident mood after recently winning the Welsh Ladies’ Close Championship at Royal St. Davids.
Also in a run of good form is Jenna Wilson of Strathaven who only last week won the Scottish Ladies’ Amateur title at Kilmarnock Barassie.
However, if recent results are anything to go by then the ultimate destination of the title may, as it has for the past four years, be overseas. European entries are particularly strong again this year with France entering 19 players, Sweden 12, Germany 11, the Netherlands 11 and Spain 8.
The Spanish entry includes Carlota Ciganda, the 2006 Spanish Champion and lowest player in the field at +4.8 and Azahara Munoz, the leading qualifier at the 2006 Ladies British Amateur at Royal County Down.
Other National Champions in the field include Jessica Parker, one of a 13-strong Canadian entry, Katharina Schallenberg of Germany, Italian Champion Marjet Broekpdder van der Graaft of the Netherlands and Spanish player Marta Silva, the Portuguese title holder.
Whoever is crowned Ladies British Amateur Champion on Saturday 16 June, will realise that they have won the title at one of Britain’s great inland courses – a club that in 2007 celebrates its centenary.
It was on 24 January 1907 that 14 men gathered at the Leeds Golf Club with the aim of founding a golf club. In February of that year, suitable land was found to the south of Leeds and by July the renowned Harry Colt, who was asked for an opinion on a suitable golf course architect, had endorsed the appointment of Alister MacKenzie to oversee changes to the initial layout.
Since that modest beginning 100 years ago, Alwoodley has frequently played host to a number of prestigious championships, the first of which was the Yorkshire Ladies’ Championship in 1922. In 1971 the Ladies’ British Amateur Championship made its one and only previous visit to the club when the winner was Michelle (Mickey) Walker, an 18-year-old local player born in Alwoodley who then went on to capture the afore-mentioned double the following year.
The LGU most recently visited Alwoodley in 2004 when Scotland’s Clare Queen won the Ladies’ British Amateur Stroke Play Championship before launching her professional career in 2006.
Other championships played at Alwoodley include the 2003 English Amateur Championship, won by Gary Lockerbie. For many years the club served as a Regional Qualifying venue for The Open Championship.
Competitors in the Ladies’ British Amateur Championship play 18 holes on Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 June and the leading 64 players then enter the match play stage culminating in an 18-hole final on the afternoon of Saturday 16 June. The GB & I team that will defend the Vagliano Trophy at the Fairmont St Andrews from 27-28 July 2007 will be announced at the prize presentation.
The full list of entrants can be viewed at www.lgu.org.
Contact:
Fraser Munro, Championship Manager
Lynn Wallace, Communications & Championship Assistant
Ladies’ Golf Union
Tel: +44 1334 475811
