Matthew Defends Ochoa Title

2012 Ladies Irish Open winner, Catriona Matthew, looks to defend her title for her 5th career victory following a powerful performance at last year’s event where she won by four-strokes over Anna Nordqvist and I.K. Kim. 

The 18-year veteran enters the week after adding her fifth straight top-10 finish to her résumé this season at the Sunrise LPGA Championship presented by Audi.

The second to last event of the 2012 season kicks off this week in Mexico at the Guadalajara Country Club where tournament host and 27-time winner on the LPGA Tour Lorena Ochoa makes her first appearance since 2010. 

The fifth annual Lorena Ochoa Invitational presented by Banamex and Jalisco highlights a star-studded field of 36 players vying for a $150,000 first-place prize from its $1 million purse. 

The field also consists of six of the top-10 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings including No. 1 Yani Tseng, No. 2 Stacy Lewis and No. 4 Inbee Park.

Lewis is coming off her fifth-career LPGA victory at the Mizuno Classic where she came from a seven-stroke deficit to defeat second-round leader and JLPGA member Bo-Mee Lee. Lewis strengthened her lead in the Rolex Player of the Year race to 214 points giving her a 58 point lead over Park, who leads the 2012 Official Money list with more than $2.1 million.

Tseng also had strong performances throughout the Asia swing with back-to-back third place finishes in Korea and Taiwan, finishing with a fourth-place finish in Japan.

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Irish Open Winner Readies for Ricoh

Following her outstanding win at the Ladies’ Irish Open 2012, Carnoustie Country Ambassador Catriona Matthew has her sights firmly fixed on the 2012 Ricoh Women’s British Open, which tees off on September 13.

“I was delighted to claim victory in the Ladies Irish Open last month,” said Catriona. “This was my second win since being appointed Carnoustie Country Ambassador for a second year and bodes well for my chances at this year’s Ricoh Women’s British Open.

“After Britain’s successes at the Olympics, it’s good to be leading the home challenge at a Major. I won the Women’s British Open three years ago and, having now won nine Professional golf tournaments, I’m hoping to clinch number ten at Royal Liverpool in a couple of weeks.”

Carnoustie Country encompasses 30 golf courses within a 40-minute drive of Carnoustie Championship and Catriona was named Ambassador for this top golfing brand in April 2011 – an appointment which was extended for a further 12 months earlier this year. “I’m honoured to be continuing my role as Carnoustie Country Ambassador,” said Catriona. “I’ve enjoyed some fabulous rounds of golf on many Carnoustie Country courses, including, of course, Carnoustie Championship. It’s wonderful to be able to spread the word about how good golf is in Carnoustie Country.”

Cllr Mairi Evans, Angus Council golf spokesperson, revealed that Catriona’s endorsement of Carnoustie Country and its golf courses had further increased awareness of the brand across the globe. “We couldn’t have asked for a better ambassador for the brand or the county,” said Cllr Evans. “For example, since her appointment in April 2011, Catriona, who wears the Carnoustie Country logo on her golf shirts, has generated almost 10,000 press articles in at least 50 countries across the globe.

“In addition, as one of the world’s top women golfers, Catriona regularly appears on television – with her Carnoustie Country logo on display. In fact, during the 2011 Ricoh Women’s British Open, the Carnoustie Country logo on Catriona’s shirt received 2,040 seconds of coverage around the world, which has been estimated as being the equivalent of £24,500 of advertising.”

In April, Catriona spent two days in Carnoustie Country, hosting golf clinics, taking part in a Beat The Golf Pro competition, coaching junior golfers and visiting local golf courses, including Forbes of Kingennie. “We were delighted to make Catriona an honorary member of Kingennie during her visit here,” said Mike Forbes of Forbes of Kingennie.

Mike Forbes was very positive about how Catriona’s ambassadorship was promoting the Carnoustie Country brand. “It’s wonderful to see such a high profile golfer, especially one with such a loyal following amongst golfers, wearing the Carnoustie Country logo and mentioning Carnoustie Country during television, newspaper and magazine interviews.

“During the Women’s Open, Catriona will undoubtedly be one of the golfers the world’s media will focus upon, guaranteeing coverage for the Carnoustie Country logo. And the more exposure Carnoustie Country receives, the more golfers who will be tempted to come here and play a round or two of golf on our excellent courses.”

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Matthew Queen of Killeen Castle

Scotland’s Solheim Cup star Catriona Matthew continued her love affair with Killeen Castle as she recorded a one stroke victory in the Ladies Irish Open supported by Fáilte Ireland.

Matthew could afford a bogey five on the final hole to seal the win with a three round total of 209, seven under par, after a second successive round of 71.

Her European Solheim Cup teammate Suzann Pettersen of Norway ended a stroke back after her second straight round of 69, with another Solheim Cup star, Laura Davies, three shots further behind in third.

The finishing holes provided drama in The 2011 Solheim Cup and it again proved the case as Pettersen pushed Matthew all the way on a warm and sunny afternoon mixed with showers in County Meath.

The 2011 event champion, Pettersen, began the final round three shots behind Matthew but was tied for the lead after 15, where she found the bunker left of the green with her second shot but made a crucial birdie putt from 20 feet.

After Matthew birdied the same hole, Pettersen made an eight foot birdie putt on the par-three 16th to stay level with Matthew, but she then dropped a shot on 17 after hitting her second shot into the bunker short of the green and missed a 20-foot putt.

There was a two shot swing when Matthew, playing in the last group behind Pettersen, holed a tricky five-footer to reach eight under with a hole to play.

Pettersen missed her downhill birdie putt on 18 and although Matthew dropped a shot, finding the bunker right, behind the green, two putts were enough to seal the win and the €52,500 first prize. 

“I’m absolutely delighted,” said Matthew, claiming her fifth victory on the Ladies European Tour and her ninth in total. “It’s always difficult going out in the lead. I was just kind of trotting along there at seven under and saw Suzann making some birdies. I think she thought she was in The Solheim Cup again.

“I made a good birdie on 15 and then the one on 17 just gave a little bit of a cushion coming up the last, which was nice. I knew I had a two shot lead and I had seen what Suzann had done on 17 and 18 so I knew she was two behind so I reckoned I could make five from there.”

On her love affair with Killeen Castle, where she played a key role in Europe’s Solheim Cup victory in September, the World No.27 added: “I think it was always going to be difficult coming back here in a way with so many good memories being here. It could have worked either way but maybe I was a little bit inspired by some of my play from last year in The Solheim Cup.”

Pettersen was understandably disappointed with her finish after mounting a superb challenge. After dropping a shot on the sixth hole, she birdied three holes in a row and compensated for a bogey on 10 with a birdie on 13. 

“I played good. I made a silly bogey on 17 and had to give it a go. I thought I could hit a very hard sand wedge and it was just a misjudgement of the wind. I made a run at it,” said Pettersen, the World No.6.

England’s Davies also made a final round charge with a 68 that contained seven birdies and three bogeys, despite suffering from a painful Achilles injury sustained whilst playing football three months ago. It was exacerbated when playing in the charity football match during the Evian Masters, but there will be no time to rest as Davies is teeing up in Toledo on the LPGA next week.

Another Englishwoman, Liz Bennett, was lying in joint third with Davies after 17 holes, but eventually signed for a 74 after slipping back into a share of ninth with four others after taking a costly triple bogey seven at the 18th.

Bennett lost her ball in the water hazard off the tee and then sent her approach shot through the back of the green, but despite that, there will be positives to take away from the tournament. Her putting has improved considerably since she installed a Huxley putting green in her back garden a week ago and will be one to watch at the forthcoming ISPS Handa Ladies British Masters in a fortnight.

England’s Curtis Cup winner Charley Hull is another player to watch and she ended in a share of 18th place, taking home the Philomena Garvey trophy as the leading amateur.

Matthew is Ladies Irish Open Leader

Catriona Matthew fed off the memory of her Solheim Cup triumph at Killeen Castle to open up a one stroke lead after the first round of the Ladies Irish Open supported by Fáilte Ireland.

The 42-year-old Scot fired a five under par 67 in fine but windy conditions to end the day a stroke ahead of Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg.

The 2009 Ricoh Women’s British Open champion shot to the top of the leader board thanks to seven birdies in her last eight holes.

“It was very strange, actually,” said Matthew, the World No.27. “I played very steadily on the front nine and then just a silly three-putt on 18 for a bogey and I was out in one over. I made a good par on the first and then had seven birdies on the next eight holes and one bogey so kind of a strange nine but I’ll take it. It’s always nice when you see the putts dropping in.”

Matthew hit it close on holes two, three and four; made a three-putt bogey on five and then made three good birdies on the last three holes.

She admitted that she took inspiration from being back at the scene of one of the biggest highlights of her career last September, when she played a key role in Europe’s Solheim Cup victory, going undefeated with a memorable 6 and 5 win over Paula Creamer in the opening singles.

Matthew tied for sixth at the Ladies Irish Open at the same venue in 2011 and she commented: “It’s playing a little longer than it did in the Irish Open but probably similar to how it did in The Solheim, because it was wetter later in the year then. It’s similar to how it played then.”

While Matthew is an eight-time tournament champion, Lindberg is targeting her first victory as a professional. The Swedish 26-year-old knocked in six birdies and two bogeys to sign for a four under par 68 after playing in cooler, but calmer conditions in the morning.

Lindberg said: “I was very steady and didn’t miss many fairways. I think I missed number one and then hit every fairway. My irons were good. I gave myself chances with short birdie putts and my putting was good too.”

England’s Felicity Johnson posted a 69 to sit two shots off the pace. The 25-year-old two-time tournament winner, who claimed her most recent victory at the 2011 Lacoste Ladies Open de France, was in an upbeat mood and said: “It was pretty boring out there today. Four birdies and a bogey, which on a day like today, I’m pretty pleased with. It was tough out there because the wind was kind of from a consistent place but it was difficult to judge sometimes.”

A group of five players are a stroke further back on two under including the four-time Irish Open champion and Solheim Cup player Sophie Gustafson.

She is joined by fellow Swede Caroline Westrup, England’s Elizabeth Bennett, Australian Rachel Bailey and Anja Monke of Germany.

Scotland’s Carly Booth and English amateur Charley Hull ended a stroke further back on one under par, with the defending champion Suzann Pettersen of Norway in a group on 72.

Pettersen, another of Europe’s stars at Killeen Castle in September, said: “I kept looking for my team mates out there. They weren’t there. It was a bit weird when I finished on nine and to walk from there to the tenth because a year ago it was just packed and everyone was there cheering you on, giving you a high five.”

Of the four other Solheim Cup players in the field, English pair Laura Davies and Karen Stupples both opened with rounds of 74, while Melissa Reid retired after eight holes due to personal reasons.

Danielle McVeigh was the best of the Irish competitors on 76, while Tara Delaney had a 77. Rebecca Codd and Leona Maguire ended in a group on 80.

Lisa Maguire withdrew citing an injury.

Ladies Irish Open - Leaderboard