Profile - Suzann Pettersen

In 2011, Suzann played the majority of her season on the LPGA and had a sensational season including 2 wins and 11 top-ten finishes. First victory came in May at the Sybase Match Play Championship and her second win at the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola. 

She finished fifth at the Money List and made a total of $1,322,770.00 season’s earning. She also played three LET events which included a win at the Ladies Irish Open and tied for 6th place at the Evian Masters. Made her sixth appearance at the Solheim Cup and helped lead the European Team to victory by securing one of the most important points in the Sunday singles.

In 2010, Suzann played the majority of her season on the LPGA. Finished runner-up at the Honda PTT LPGA Thailand, the Kraft Nabisco Championship and the Bell Micro LPGA Classic; tied for second at the U.S. Women’s Open, the CN Canadian Women’s Open and the Lorena Ochoa Invitational with season’s earnings of $1,557,174.50. Suzann’s best finish on the LET was 5th at the Evian Masters Presented by Société Générale.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Won the French Open in 2001 in only her second start as a professional after beating Becky Morgan in a playoff. Finished runner up at the German Open behind Karine Icher. Finished runner up at the WPGA Championship of Europe behind Helen Alfredsson. Finished second at the Mexx Sport Open behind Karine Icher after a playoff. Won LET Rookie of the Year on 2001. Lost another playoff to Karrie Webb for the Australian Open in 2002. 

Lost yet another playoff to Iben Tinning for the Irish Open. Lost in her most recent playoff to Sophie Gustafson at the 2003 HP Open after shooting 62 to get into it. Playoff is not her favourite word! 

Represented Europe in the 2002 Solheim Cup in her rookie year. Represented Europe in the 2003 Solheim Cup, winning four points and conceding her singles match to Beth Daniel when she knew Europe had won the Cup. Represented Europe in her third Solheim Cup at Crooked Stick GC, Carmel, Indiana, where she was undefeated winning 3 points out of a possible four. 

Played in The Solheim Cup in 2007 at Halmstad GC in Sweden. Won six tournaments around the world in 2007 and rose to number two in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings by the end of the year. Won 2 LET tournaments in 2008: the Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open at Golf Gerre Losone and the AIB Ladies Irish Open at Portmarnock Links. Ranked fifth in the world at the end of the 2008 season. 

Earned 10th worldwide victory at the 2009 the CN Canadian Women's Open. Made 5th Solheim Cup appearance at Rich Harvest Farms, USA. Ranked as World No.3 at the end of 2009. In 2011 added three more individual victories (two on the LPGA and one on the LET) to her CV. She also made her sixth Solheim Cup appearance at Killeen Castle, where the European Team regained the Cup from the US Team. She won one of the most vital points in her singles match against Michelle Wie, recovering from being 1 down and finishing with three birdies to help secure victory for European team.

AMATEUR

World Amateur Champion 2000, British Girls Champion 1999, Norwegian Champion 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000. Gained Evian Tour card after finishing 11th in LET Qualifying School 2001. 

PERSONAL

175cm with blond hair and blue eyes. Lists most sports, especially skiing, keeping fit and music amongst her hobbies. Names Norway’s Athlete of the Year in 2008 and 2010. Attached to Oslo GC. Represents Nike. 

TOUR VICTORIES

2001 French Open, 2007 SAS Masters, 2008 Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open, 2008 AIB Ladies Irish Open, 2011 Ladies Irish Open.

OTHER VICTORIES

2007 Michelob ULTRA Open, McDonalds LPGA Championship presented by Coca-Cola, Longs Drugs Challenge, HANA Bank KOLON Championship, Honda LPGA Thailand 2007, 2009 CN Canadian Women's Open, 2011 Sybase Match Play Championship, 2011 Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola.

SOLHEIM CUP

2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011.

Factfile

DOB: 7th April 1981

Place of Birth: Oslo Norway

Residence: Norway

InterestsAll kinds of sport and music

Turned Pro. 4th September 2000

Exemption Status: LET Ranking Tournament Winners

SponsorNike

RepresentsNorway

Pettersen Back to Back Winner

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Rolex Rankings No. 7 Suzann Pettersen became the third player to win back-to-back events on the LPGA Tour this season, as she captured a three-shot victory at the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship. Pettersen shot a final round 3-under 69 to capture the come-from behind victory over Rolex Rankings No. 5 Inbee Park.

One week after closing out her first victory of the 2012 season at the LPGA KEB·HanaBank Championship, Pettersen once again found a way to take home a trophy. But while it took her three playoff holes in South Korea for a win, Pettersen managed to pull away from her playing partners – Park and Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng -- over the final few holes this week.

“I tee it up every week to try and win,” Pettersen said. “Obviously winning last week gave me perhaps a bit more confidence believing that what I do is the right thing, and I've had some great friends around me last week, this week, being able to put my head in the right spot and just really enjoy myself.”

The Oslo, Norway, native began the day two shots back of third-round leader Inbee Park but Pettersen birdied the first hole to move within one. A bogey by Park on the fifth hole created a tie atop the leaderboard and from there it was a tight battle between the two players before Pettersen took a one-shot lead when Park bogeyed the par-4 14th hole. She then drained a long birdie putt on 15 to move two shots ahead and clinched her victory with a birdie on the par-5 18th.

“I don't think I've enjoyed myself so much on the golf course like I have the last three or four weeks, so I think that might be a huge part of it,” she continued. “Really playing with my heart, playing with my instinct, even on the last shot. Just being aggressive.”

Peterrsen won the 2008 AIB Ladies Irish Open, the 2011 ladies Irish Open at Killeen castle  and a member of the victorious 2011 European Solheim Cup Team.

Related articles

• Pettersen wins LPGA tournament in Taiwan
• Pettersen rallies for second straight win
• Pettersen, Park share lead in Taiwan
• Suzann Pettersen wins Taiwan Championship
• Suzann Pettersen wins Taiwan Championship
• Pettersen wins LPGA Taiwan by 3 shots

Profile - Rebecca Codd

In 2011, Rebecca played in 23 tournaments and recorded a season-best tie for 13th at the Open de Espana Femenino at La Quinta. She earned 31,722.00 euro throughout the season ending 68th on the Money List.

In 2010, her sixth season on the LET, posted four top-10 finishes including a season-best tie for 5th at the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open in China. Tied for 6th in Austria, tied for 8th in Scotland and tied for 10th in Finland.

In 2009, posted three top-10 finishes, with season best ties for fifth place at both the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open in China and the Daishin Securities Korean Ladies Masters in Korea.

In 2008, shot career low 63 (-9) R1 of the 2008 Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open, on the way to a season-best tie for 11th.

In 2008, season-best finish was a tie for 7th at the BMW Ladies Italian Open.

In 2006, earned a career best tie for 3rd at the Tenerife Ladies Open.

AMATEUR

Irish Strokeplay Champion 2000 and 2002. Irish Amateur Champion 2002.

Factfile

DOB: 25th April 1981

Place: Adelaide, Australia

Personal: 165cm tall with light brown hair and green eyes. 

Interests include movies, music, sports and supporting Chelsea Football Club

Married Shane Codd, PGA professional and Tour caddie, in January 2010. 

Major Influence: Parents. 

Resides in Carlow, Ireland. 

Represents: Team Ireland Golf

Turned Pro: 1st December 2002

Exemption Status: Top 80 from Exempt Rankings

Profile - Melissa Reid - Ladies Irish Open

In 2011, Melissa recorded two wins in the Deloitte Dutch Ladies Open at Broekpolder GC and the Open de España Femenino at La Quinta GC plus six top ten finishes including tied second at the ISPS HANDA Women’s Australian Open. She tied for third three times: at Ladies Irish Open, UNIQA Ladies Golf Open and Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open and, finally, tied for fourth at the New Zealand Women’s Open and Turkish Airlines Ladies Open. 

She was a first-time member of the European Solheim Cup team having earned her place on the team by leading the Ladies European Tour's Solheim Cup points' list.

In 2010, broke through with her first victory as a professional at the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open at National Golf Club in Belek, Antalya; finished two strokes clear of Iben Tinning and Christel Boeljon. Posted 10 additional top-10 finishes, the most on tour all year, including 2nd at the UniCredit Ladies German Open, tied for 2nd at the S4C Wales Championship, 3rd at the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, tied for 3rd at the UNIQA Ladies Golf Open, 4th at the AIB Ladies Irish Open, tied for 6th at the Lalla Meryem Cup, tied for 7th at the Tenerife Ladies Open, tied for 8th at the Allianz Ladies Slovak Open, tied for 9th at the Korean Ladies Masters, tied for 10th at the Open de France Feminin. Finished 3rd on the Henderson Money List: her best position in three years on Tour.

In 2009, Melissa recorded 8 top ten finishes. She posted a season-best of 2nd at the Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open, tied for third at both the Women's Australian Open and HypoVereinsbank Ladies German Open. She finished 7th on the Henderson Money List with season’s earnings of €168,749.67 from 14 events played.

In 2008 Melissa became the Ryder Cup Wales Rookie of the Year, in association with the Bill Johnson Trophy. She finished 2nd three times in 2008, at the ABN AMRO Ladies Open in the Netherlands, the Oxfordshire Ladies English Open and the Nykredit Masters in Denmark.

AMATEUR

Reid was a member of the GB&I team at the 2006 Curtis Cup; a member of the 2005 European PING Junior Solheim Cup Team; the 2007 Commonwealth Team and the 2007 Vagliano Team. Titles that she won include the 2004 and 2005 English Girls’ Championship, the 2006 and 2007 Helen Holm Trophy; the 2007 St Rule Trophy and the 2007 British Amateur Strokeplay Championship at Conway GC. She was Britain’s leading amateur in 2007 and also won the Smyth Salver as the leading amateur at the 2007 Ricoh Women’s British Open, on the Old Course at St Andrews, where she finished tied for 16th. 

PERSONAL

170 cm tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. Resides in Loughborough. Started playing golf at the age of 11 after she could no longer play football with the boys. Interests include snowboarding, playing football and supporting Derby County. Credits Annika Sorenstam, her parents, coach Lawrence Farmer and Sir Clive Woodward as the individuals most influencing her career. Twitter: @melreidgolf

LET VICTORIES 

2010 Turkish Airlines Ladies Open; 2011 Deloitte Dutch Ladies Open, Open de España Femenino.

SOLHEIM CUP

2011

Ladies Irish Open Winner - Sophie Gustafson

Sophie Gustafson was born on 27 December 1973, and is a Swedish professional golfer  based on the LPGA Tour and a life member of the Ladies European Tour. 

She has four LPGA and 22 international wins in her career. She is a two time LET Order of Merit winner and has represented Europe in the Solheim Cup in each match since 1998. 

Sophie Gustafson turned professional in 1992 whilst studying marketing, economics and law at Aranasskolan & Komvux University in Sweden. In the next three years she played 12 Telia Tour and four Ladies European Tour tournaments. 

On the Telia tour she had six top ten finishes. Her best finish on the LET was a 22nd at her home tournament in Sweden. Gustafson was a member of Europe's Solheim Cup team in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007. 

Hobbies include motorbikes and music. Purchased a “Triumph Tiger” motorbike in 2004. 

Credits Seve Ballesteros and Solheim Cup team mate Laura Davies as the individuals most influencing her career. 

In 2011, gave a sit-down interview for The Golf Channel during The Solheim Cup for the first time despite a stuttering problem and then in January 2012, named the recipient of the Golf Writers’ Association of America (GWAA) Ben Hogan Award for remaining active in golf despite a physical handicap or serious illness. 

TOUR VICTORIES

2011 European Nations Cup (team event partnering Anna Nordqvist), 

2010 Comunitat Valenciana European Nations Cup (team event partnering Anna Nordqvist), 2010 AIB Ladies Irish Open. 

2007 De Vere Ladies Scottish Open, 2006 Siemens Austrian Ladies Open. 

2003 Ladies Irish Open, BT Open, HP Open. 

2002 Biarritz Ladies Classic. 

2001 AAMI Australian Open, 2011 Waterford Crystal Irish Open

2000 Ladies Italian Open, 2000 Waterford Crystal Ladies Irish Open, 2000 Weetabix Women’s British Open, 

1998 Donegal Irish Ladies Open, 1998 Marrakech Palmeraie Open, 

1996 Deese Ladies Swiss Open. 

OTHER VICTORIES

1996 Rörstrand Open, 1997 Thailand Open, 1998 Telia Final, 1998 Princess Lalla Meryem Cup. 2000 Chick-fil-A Charity Championship, TSN World Cup Golf (partnering Carin Koch), 2001 Subaru Memorial of Naples. 2003 Samsung World Championship. 2003 Catalonia World Matchplay Championship. 2009 CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge.

SOLHEIM CUP

1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011

Delaney Misses Q School Cut

Tara Delaney saw her strong momentum in the early rounds undone at La Manga, after a fourth round of 79 saw her miss the cut into the final rounds - and a total of five shots off the mark as a result. 

England’s Jodi Ewart continued to lead after the fourth round of the Ladies European Tour’s Final Qualifying School at La Manga Club in Spain on Wednesday as 52 players made the cut, securing their places in the fifth and final round.

Wednesday’s penultimate round represented a chance for the 99 competitors in the field to make a break towards the top 50 and ties and the magic number fell at nine over par.

On Thursday, the remaining 52 competitors will ultimately be targeting the crucial top 30 places and membership of the LET in category 8a.

After the final round, those who finish in positions 31 to 52 will be eligible for Membership in Category 9b, but with fewer chances to play.

As always at Qualifying School, there was drama at the top and bottom of the leader board as the players jostled for position.

At the top of the leader board, Ewart’s overnight lead was cut from seven to four shots, after Swiss amateur Anais Maggetti fired a six under 67 on the South Course to end the day at seven under par.

Maggetti, 21, from Losone, showed what was possible as she reeled off seven birdies and one bogey in the bright and sunny, calm conditions.

She said: “I am very happy and I holed two long putts of 20 metres. Tomorrow I want to play the same as today.”

If Maggetti finishes inside the top 30 places, she will turn professional, but if not will consider her options.

Ewart turned professional in June 2010 and has been honing her game on the US Futures Tour since graduating from New Mexico University, but she said that she endured a frustrating day on the greens.

A fourth round of two over 73 on the North Course gave the 24-year-old from North Yorkshire an 11 under par aggregate total.

Ewart said: “I didn’t get very many chances today. They just weren’t falling at all. I had one bad hole which set me back a couple of shots but nothing really went in.

“I am feeling calm but I got a little frustrated today because I had a couple of unlucky finishes, behind trees and stuff. I got a little bit unlucky and had one bogey and one double. I hit it in a fairway bunker and just got a little bit greedy with my lay-up shot, which was 115. I caught the lip of the bunker and came back in and three putted on top of that. I just had one birdie on the fifth.

“Nothing was dropping. I had so many pars and everything was green in regulation and two putts. It was a pretty boring round and the opposite of yesterday.”

At the other end of the leader board, Russian Maria Verchenova was one of the players who climbed up into the top 52 places moving from tied 55th into a share of 43rd with a one under par 72 on the South Course, but Scotland’s Lynn Kenny went the other way, slipping from tied 49th into joint 76th with a 78 on the North.

While there was misery for some, there was joy for Norwegian Caroline Martens, sitting in a share of 30th position on six over par in total, after she had a hole in one at the second on the North Course. She also had a hole in one on a different hole on the same course the previous year. 

With one day to go, the golfers are facing the last 18 holes of this year’s test, but who will be able to withstand the pressure and produce the goods when it is needed the most?

Ultimately, the higher up the leader board the players finish, the more competitive chances will be available to them during the 2012 season.

If necessary, a play-off will take place to establish first position, to determine who will follow in the footsteps of Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall as recent LET Q-School winners, while if necessary, there will also be a play-off to establish 30th place.

The final round will be played over the South Course starting from two tees at 9.30am on Thursday, with the leading trio of Ewart, Maggetti and Stephanie Kirchmayr, who shares joint third spot with Carlota Ciganda at four under, teeing off the first at 10.50am.

Gillen Opens Q School with 74

India’s Sharmila Nicollet and Chrisje de Vries of the Netherlands set a flying pace with rounds of five under par on the opening day of the Ladies European Tour’s Final Qualifying School for the 2012 season at La Manga Club in Spain.

Nicollet had seven birdies and two bogeys for an opening 68 on the South Course while De Vries had four birdies, one bogey and an eagle two at the ninth hole in a 66 on the North Course.

England’s Jodi Ewart, Germany’s Stephanie Kirchmayr, Sweden’s Elin Emanuelsson and Spain’s Laura Cabanillas were the next best placed players on three under par.

On two under par were Marjet Van der Graff, Alexandre Vilatte, Mary Mattson, Jessica Yadloczky, Caroline Martens and Eleanor Givens.

Co-leader Nicollet, 20, from south Bangalore, said that she felt confident after shooting her best score in Europe.

“This is my first experience here in Spain and at the qualifiers. The whole of India is behind me. I am the only Indian to qualify so a lot of motivation and pressure got me through,” Nicollet said. 

“I love Europe and want to play here so that motivates me to want to play here. I’m in my comfort zone in India so I need to test myself. Playing five under par amongst the top players has boosted my confidence for the last few days. I’m in good form and my game is good so that pretty much sums up my feelings. The weather was perfect and it was the best time to play so I’m loving everything.”

Nicollet said that all parts of her game came together, but she was particularly pleased to have had only 29 putts.

“I’m very comfortable with my driving and putting, but putting was probably my strength today. I holed a lot of medium range putts and started birdie, birdie, birdie, so I was four under after five.”

De Vries was equally pleased after her round, having finished with an eagle at the ninth after holing her second shot with a five-iron from 143 metres. 

The 23-year-old from Amsterdam said: “It was a pretty special round actually. I started off okay with a bogey on 11 but then made a birdie on 15 and 16 and in between made pars and a few up and downs. From that point I started putting better and my caddie was making good decisions about the clubs and the wind, which was a bit tricky, I thought. I had a birdie on the third and then kept working at shots. I made a birdie on eight and nine was a nice finish. I just brought it in from the right with the wind.”

De Vries held limited membership of the LET in category 11a in 2011 and played in only three tournaments, missing the cut in Holland, Morocco and Sicily. She also played on the LET Access Series with a season best finish of sixth at the LETAS Ladies Open in Hazlemere and feels that every competitive experience is improving her game.

At the other end of the experience spectrum, Cabanillas, from Malaga, has played on tour for 11 years and has returned to La Manga Club for the second successive year but feels no pressure to retain her playing privileges.

She had three birdies in a round of 68 on the North Course and said: “I think all the shots were fine. I feel very confident with the driver and with the irons. The putts were really good but I lipped out many times and could have had four more birdies.”

Ewart, born in North Allerton in Yorkshire, carded a 70 on the South Course containing two birdies, a bogey and an eagle.

The 24-year-old, who lives in Florida, is an experienced competitor having earned her card for the LPGA in December.

She said: “This will be my fourth time at a Q-School so I’m used to how it works.”

On her round, she added: “I played really solid and only had one bogey so really steady. I eagled the last hole, the 18th, which was nice. I hit a five-iron to ten feet from 165 yards and holed it, so a nice way to finish.”

Kirchmayr also shot 70 on the South Course after carding two birdies, a bogey and an eagle.

The 26-year-old from Nuernberg in Bavaria was pleased with the start to her final qualifying campaign.

“It was a great round. I thought it was quite tough this morning with the wind, but I guess it was not that tough because so many scores are under par.

On her eagle at the par-five 18th, she added: “I took driver and hit a four-iron into the green and made a really good putt from four metres downhill. It was a good round and I didn’t make many mistakes.”

The 90-hole Final Qualifying School is being played over the resort’s two world-class courses, the North and the South, for the first four rounds with a cut to the leading 50 players and ties after 72 holes. The fifth round will be played on the South Course on Thursday and the top 30 players will earn LET Membership in category 8a.

Killeen Returns for 2012 Ladies

A truly international schedule featuring 24 golf tournaments in 19 different countries was unveiled for 2012 today by the Ladies European Tour.

The 2012 Ladies European Tour schedule features two new tournaments in Buckinghamshire, England and Helsingborg, Sweden, as well as two provisional additional dates in March and October. 

The year starts off with Qualifying School at La Manga Club in Spain in early January. The season proper then begins with RACV Australian Ladies Masters during the first week of February, followed by the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open and the ISPS Handa New Zealand Women’s Open, hosted by Christchurch.

The Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco will be played one week earlier than previously scheduled, from March 22-25 and moves to Golf de l'Ocean in Agadir, which hosted the Hassan II Trophée on the PGA European Tour in 2010. For the third straight year the men’s and women’s events will take place in the same city during the same week.

Moving into Europe, the Aberdeen Asset management Ladies Scottish Open presented by EventScotland will continue at Archerfield Links in East Lothian, Scotland, from May 3-5. The designated special event will feature a field of 80 players with a cut.

The Turkish Ladies Open then continues at National Golf Club, Belek, Antalya, Turkey, from May 10-13, followed by the UniCredit Ladies German Open presented by Audi at Golfpark Gut Häusern, near Munich in Germany from May 24-27.

In June, the Deloitte Ladies Open will again be played at Golfclub Broekpolder in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, followed by the Ladies Slovak Open at Golf Resort Tale in Brezno, Tale, Slovakia.

The Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open, with a prize fund of €525,000, will be played at Golf Gerre Losone, Ticino, Switzerland from June 14-17.

Then, following a successful first visit to the Czech Republic in 2010, the Raiffeisenbank Prague Golf Masters will return to Albatross Golf Resort.

The Evian Masters presented by Societe Generale will be staged at Evian Masters Golf Club in Evian-Les-Bains, France from June 26-29.

Returning to the scene of Europe’s dramatic Solheim Cup victory, Killeen Castle will host the Ladies Irish Open from August 3-5.

The inaugural ISPS Handa Ladies British Masters will be played at Buckinghamshire Golf Club, home to the Ladies European Tour’s headquarters, from August 13-19 following the London 2012 Olympic Games and before the Paralympics.

The Tour will then move to Austria for the UNIQA Ladies Golf Open presented by Raiffeisen at Golfclub Föhrenwald in Wiener Neustadt from August 30 to September 2nd.

In another exciting development, the LET returns to Sweden after a three year hiatus for the inaugural Helsingborg Open at Vasatorp Golf Club, Helsingborg, Skane, from September 6-9.

The RICOH Women's British Open, making an historical first visit to Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, from September 13-16, will then take place ahead of the Open de España Femenino and Ladies Open of Portugal.

The Lacoste Ladies Open de France moves to Chantaco Golf Club in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Aquitaine, from October 4-7, for the last event of the year on European soil.

The Tour then heads east for the Sanya Ladies Open at Yalong Bay Golf Club in Hainan, China, ahead of the China Suzhou Taihu Open at Suzhou Taihu International Golf Club near Shanghai from October 26-28.

The Hero Honda Women's Indian Open will again take place at DLF Golf & Country Club near New Delhi and the season concludes with the seventh staging of the highly popular Omega Dubai Ladies Masters at Emirates Golf Course in the United Arab Emirates. 

“We have been able to offer our members a wide range of attractive playing opportunities at some of the world’s finest international venues,” said the Ladies European Tour’s executive director Alexandra Armas.

“We are pleased with the schedule, particularly given the poor shape of the global economy and these are exciting times for the LET.”