royal birkdale 2010

★★★★

GOLF:RoyalBirkdale2010

LAURADAVIESontheinsidetrack

WONDEROF WIEGolfing sensation Michelleon fame, controversy andreturning to Birkdale Pages

4/5

Pages6/7

Florry’shappytobe‘home’

Page4

SPORT Thursday, July 22, 20102 ★★★★

A GIFT FORFUTUREPAULA Creamer,newly-crownedUS Women’sOpen champion,is backing Ricoh’sgreen campaignto reduce ourcarbon footprint.

The BritishWomen’s Opensponsors willplant a tree forevery ten peopleto pledge supportfor GIFT (GreenInitiative ForTomorrow).

Creamer said:“Small, everydaychanges to ourlives can lead to agreener and moreenvironmentallyfriendly world.”

Further detailsat Royal Birkdaleor by visitingwww.ricohwomensbritishopen.com/GIFT

Melissa leadschargeoftheyoungbrigadeMELISSA REID is ready tolead the charge of a newgeneration of homegrownplayers at Royal Birkdalenext week.

The 22-year-old fromDerby has been tipped asthe natural successor tothe most successful Britishplayer in women’s golf,Laura Davies.

A breakthrough victoryin her third full year on theLadies European Tour – atthe Turkish AirlinesLadies Open – only servedto underline the richpotential of the formerCurtis Cup player.

Now she wants to buildon that platform by puttingherself in contention forhonours at the sport’smajor events, both inEurope and America.

Reid’s maiden victory

follows four finishes asrunner-up and she admits:“I feel I should have wonmore events, but they sayyour first win is the mostdifficult. Now I know I cancompete against the bestplayers. Good as theEuropean Tour is, if youwant to play against thebest on a regular basis thenAmerica is the place to beand I want to get there assoon as I can. I would loveto make the Solheim Cupteam first and then look atgoing to America at the endof 2011.”

Such is Reid’ssingle-minded approach toachieving her goals, she

has even politely declinedthe help of Sir CliveWoodward. The RugbyWorld Cup-winning coachhad a simple idea – toprovide an Olympicstandard support team fora non-Olympian.

And so Team Reid wasborn, with Melissa beingable to call on the help of 13coaches ranging fromvisual awareness to akinetics expert andnutritionist. But she willarrive for the RicohWomen’s British Openwith a slimmed down teamof just four – including hermanager and coach.

“There was a danger ofinformation overload,” sheadmits. “I had to filter outwhat I didn’t need to find aset-up I was comfortablewith. People can offer help

as much as they want, butyou have to takeresponsibility for yourself.We have always had ablueprint for what I amtrying to achieve, it is justthat we have tweaked it.”

Reid is looking forwardto the extra buzzsurrounding Britain’s onlywomen’s major.

“It’s always special andhas an aura all of its own,”she said. “We play in otherbig events like the EvianMasters, but it is a greatfeeling to get the localsupport for the Britishplayers. It is a chance toplay against the bestplayers in the world. I don’tthink there will be asurprise winner – it will bethe player who drives theball well, hits good longirons and stays patient.”

by RICHARDWILLIAMSON

BRIGHT PROSPECT: England’s MelissaReid has secured her maiden LET title

SPECTATORVILLAGE

KEY

ADMINISTRATION OFFICES

LEADERBOARD

PUBLIC TOILETS

PUBLIC CATERING

PUBLIC GRANDSTAND

FIRST AID

VEHICLE ENTRY

PEDESTRIAN ENTRY

TAXI RANK

GREENKEEPERS

CONTACTORS’COMPOUND

WATERLOO ROAD

HASTINGS ROAD

GREENBANKSCHOOL

CARPARK1

CARPARK3

CARPARK2CAR

PARK4CAR

PARK5

PUBLICCAR PARK

PUBLICCAR PARK

DRIVINGRANGE

SHORT-GAMEPRACTICE AREA

MARSHALS’HQ

TVCOMPOUND

PUTTINGGREEN

VIPHOSPITALITY

CLUBHOUSE


TV TIMESTHE Ricoh Women’sBritish Open will bescreened by the BBCat the followingtimes:Thursday and Friday:2pm-5.15pmSaturday:2.30pm-5.45pmSunday: 3pm-6pm

Course map by Andy Sumner,Smith Sumner

Thursday, July 22, 2010 SPORT 3★★★★

Watchandlearnfromthesmoothoperators

THE MAN in charge of hostingthe world’s best womenplayers at Royal Birkdalenext week believes golfersshould watch – and learn.

Jonathan Seal is chairman ofchampionship at the Southportclub, which will be staging theRicoh Women’s British Open fromJuly 29 to August 1.

The tournament has attracted theplayers who are filling the top tenplaces in the women’s worldrankings as well as a host of otherstar names including the mostsuccessful British women’s golfer ofall time, Laura Davies, two of thoseplayers trying to take over hermantle in Melissa Reid andFlorentyna Parker and the likes ofMichelle Wie and defendingchampion Catriona Matthew.

It means the 144-strong field islaced with quality and Seal thinksthe Merseyside golfing publicshould take advantage of the chanceto pick up some free tips.

“I think golfers of all abilities canlearn more from watching theladies play than they could fromwatching Tiger Woods or ErnieEls,” explained the sevenhandicapper who has been amember at Royal Birkdale for 25years.

“For most club golfers, very fewplayers outside the scratch teamswould be able to match the maleprofessionals and drive the ballmore than 300 yards.

“The 250-270 yards that the ladieshit the ball is much more in therange of the handicap golfer.

“The course management of theladies is excellent. They know that ifthey knock the ball into the verydeep rough they are going tostruggle to get it out.

“The ladies do not try to hit theball too hard. On the whole, theyare not very tall and are quite trimbut still get good distance on theball by hitting it with a very smoothswing. It is a good lesson for all ofus who try to swing quicker andquicker to hit the ball harder andharder.”

Royal Birkdale’s history is ladenwith the sport’s greatestchampionship events, but for Sealthis will be a first as he serves whathe describes as a “longapprenticeship” in the run-up to thereturn of the Open championship.

The chairman of championshipat the club is appointed at eachOpen and remains in position until

the next men’s championship hasfinished.

With the Open on effectively a tenyear loop, this can mean aprolonged time waiting in thewings. But given the popularity ofthe Southport links as a venue fortop events, there is plenty ofopportunity to add to the bank ofknowledge available at the club forhosting such major events.

While the Open is likely to returnin the high teens of this decade,

given the R&A’s desire to see theBritish Seniors Open played out atthe leading venues it seemsinconceivable that the event willnot be announced for RoyalBirkdale some time in the next fiveyears.

Throw into the mix some of thesport’s top amateur events as well –such as the English Women’s CloseAmateur Championship in thecalendar for 2012 – and Seal won’tbe short of things to do!

And his workload next weekcould mean some very early starts.

“The chairman of championshiphas to look after things from theclub side,” said the 50 years-oldfather of two, who lives atHightown. “We work withpromoters IMG and the Ladies GolfUnion and we have to ensure thecourse is set up correctly. We willtalk to the LGU about pin positions,for example.

“Also, we have to provide more

than 400 marshalls for the event,which we do with the tremendoussupport of other golf clubs, andmore than 80 scorers.

“We also look after the clubhouse.The first players will be going outat 6.30am and given that they willwant access to the locker room andpractice ground to prepare for theirround, the clubhouse will have to beopen at around 4.30am.

“The last group won’t be in untilaround 8.30pm so it makes for avery long day.”

Seal will go into the event havingalready built up his knowledge ofhow a major event operates fromthe inside.

He was involved in organisingthe litter collection at the 1991Open, the scoring in ‘98 and heshadowed the chairman ofchampionship in 2008.

“I am very fortunate that becauseBirkdale has held so manychampionships over the years thereis 30-40 years worth of experiencethat I can call on,” added theRensburg Sheppards director.

“Birkdale has a reputation forbeing a challenging course, but alsoa very fair one. Our aim will be topresent it in the best possible wayfor the Ricoh Women’s Open.”

World’s bestshowgolf is notall about power

by RICHARD WILLIAMSON

HOW YOU CAN SEE THE STARS IN ACTIONTHE RicohWomen’s BritishOpen is one of thegolfing highlights ofthe sportingcalendar.

Celebrating its35th year, the 2010championshipreturns to RoyalBirkdale where thesuperstars ofwomen’s golf,including reigning

champion CatrionaMatthew, MichelleWie, PaulaCreamer, SuzannPettersen andEngland’s ownLaura Davies will bein action.

Famed for itsfantastic viewing ofthe on course play,spectators will alsobe able to savourthe atmosphere as

they stroll throughthe ChampionshipVillage. Visitors cantake part in theinteractiveactivities, browsethe exhibition areaand enjoy a littleretail therapy in theKartel OfficialMerchandise tent.You can also grab abite to eat or sip achampagne.

TheChampionshiptakes place fromThursday July 29 toSunday August 1and tickets can bepurchased online atwww.ricohwomensbritishopen.com oron the tickethotline 0871 9459421.PRICES: Daily adulttickets - £22

(Thursday-Sunday);Daily concessiontickets - £17 (seniorcitizens, 16-17year-olds andstudents); Seasonadult tickets - £55;Season concessiontickets - £45; Under16s Free (whenaccompanied by anadult).Free public parking isavailable.

CHALLENGE: Jonathan Seal, chairman of championship at Royal Birkdale, prepares for the visit of the women’s best golfers Picture: COLIN LANE



I’venoregretsoverthedecisionsI’vemadeWHEN Michelle Wie

arrives at RoyalBirkdale next week, itwill be with anothernotable first on the most

colourful CV in women’s golf.Four years after joining the

professional ranks just days before her16th birthday, the woman tipped to be asbig a force in the sport as Tiger Woodsfinally secured her first win onAmerica’s LPGA Tour.

Success at the Lorena OchoaInvitational in Mexico came in her 81sttournament as a professional – whichincludes several appearances competingagainst the men – and was a welcomeaddition to a biography that is aschequered as it is packed.

The Hawaiian may not celebrate her21st birthday until October, but hasattracted as many brickbats as bouquetssince a golf club was first thrust into herhands at the age of four.

She was just 10 when she became theyoungest player to qualify for theWomen’s US Amateur Public LinksChampionship – and the records kept ontumbling.

But while she has earned plaudits for aremarkable amateur career, controversyhas never been far away – whether it bebrushes with the rules or her poorperformances in the men’s events.

What has never been in doubt is hergolfing ability – as Royal Birkdale borewitness to five years ago when Wiefinished in a share of third at theWomen’s British Open as a 15 year-oldamateur.

Not surprisingly she is lookingforward to her return to Merseyside forthis year’s Ricoh-backed championship,but she insists she has no regrets overhow her career has panned out.

“There is nothing I can do to changethe past even if I wanted to,” she said

ahead of returning to a course where shewas 12 under par for her four rounds lasttime out.

“It is always easy to look at things inretrospect – all I can do is focus on thefuture, focus on now. I’m moving forwardand I feel good about my game and I’mhaving fun.”

It was her attempts to weld togetherappearances on both the men’s andwomen’s tours at a time when she hadbarely got to grips with life as aprofessional that triggered the mostdebate.

A string of missed cuts against hermale counterparts – she played all fourrounds just once – was all theammunition her critics needed.

But again Wie is unrepentant abouther approach.

“It was a great experience and hasmade me the player I am today,” she said.“I like that I didn’t take the conventionalroute; everyone has to do things theirown way.”

Doing things her own way has meantmaintaining her education away fromthe course and she now divides her year

between studying at Stanford Universityand playing golf.

She believes striking that balance hasbeen vital to her well-being.

“I think the fact I have pursued myformal education has been good for meand has kept my life balanced,” shesaid.

“I love golf but I also love being able toescape and hang out with my friends whoreally don’t care how I perform on thegolf course.

“Everyone atStanford is so goodat what they dothat I don’t standout at all andalthough it can be a

challenge to jughave it any other wa

And sheexpectation onsimple philosophthe focus onand off coursein terms of mdon’t let other people’affect me.”

Not surprisingl

RichardEXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Williamson

PULLINGPOWER:MichelleWie islookingforward toreturning toRoyalBirkdale

MichelleWieondealingwith fame, controversyandRoyal Birkdale

BUBBLING:Michelle Wie(centre, back)joins in theCurtis Cupcelebrations atFormby in 2004

FlorentynahominginontitlesuccessFLORENTYNA Parkerreturns to her rootsnext week – but doesnot expect to be able tocash in on homeadvantage.

The 21 year-old hasbeen a member of RoyalBirkdale for the pastnine years.

But the EuropeanLadies Tour player isbased in Germanywhere dad Tim, aformer professional atBootle golf course, nowworks andopportunities for visitsto her ‘local’ course arefew and far between.

However there willbe a strong Merseysideconnection for Parker,who scored her maidenvictory on the LET thissummer at the DutchOpen, when she tees upfor the Ricoh Women’sBritish Open.

Accompanied bymum Gina, she will bestaying with hergrandparents in Crosbywhich provides a goodchance to catch up onfamily news as well aschasing one of thebiggest prizes inwomen’s golf.

“It will be great toplay in front of a bigcrowd and no doubt seea few familiar faces atBirkdale,” the formerEngland amateurinternational said. “I’veplayed the course a fewtimes and it is one I feelcomfortable on, but Idon’t think there is anyhome advantage.

“It is a great courseand the sort of placewhere you have to keepyourself out of trouble.

“A run of pars will beno bad thing – it isimportant to keep thehigh numbers off your

card. Obviously it canget windy at Birkdaleand you want to keepthe ball a bit lower, so Iwill be practising mypunch shots in therun-up to the event.”

Parker only turnedprofessional two yearsago having given up apromising start, whichincluded countyhonours, at both tennisand table tennis toconcentrate on her golf.

Her roll of honour asan amateur includedappearances in theJunior Ryder Cup,Junior Solheim Cupand Curtis Cup teams.

Her biggest successwas her victory in theFrench Under 21Championship whileshe won the LancashireWomen’s Countychampionship in 2006.

She secured her cardfor the LET in 2009,with two top tenfinishes helping her to24th on the Order ofMerit and second in theRookie of the Yearrankings.

This year she hastaken her career to thenext level, with victoryin Holland at the ABNAMRO Ladies Open togo with top ten finishesat the Lalla MeryemCup, Turkish AirlinesLadies Open andPortugal Ladies Opento leave her in sixth inthe European list for2010.

“I don’t know what toexpect from the week,but I am playing welland I am happy withmy game,” she added.

by RICHARDWILLIAMSON

JUST CHAMPION: Florentyna Parker



e to juggle everything, I wouldn’ty other way.”

And she shrugs off the weight oftion on her shoulders with a

simple philosophy, adding: “I try to keepocus on having fun – on the course

f course. I’m happy with where I amms of my game and my life and so I

t let other people’s expectations

prisingly, the memories of thatfirst visit toBirkdale are etchedin her youngmemory, althoughshe had actuallyvisited Merseyside12 months earlier.

Inevitably, it wasa record-breakingappearance whenshe became theyoungest woman toplay in the CurtisCup at the age of 14as a member of thevictoriousAmerican team at

the neighbouring Formby course.“I remember Birkdale pretty well

although it was five years ago and I wasonly 15,” she recalled.

“I had been over the year before to playin the Curtis Cup so I had an idea of whatto expect but I was really excited to beover in the UK and playing on such afamous course in a majorchampionship.

“My coach, David Leadbetter, is fromthe UK so he had lots of advice on what Ishould expect and the kind of shots Iwould need to play, so I couldn’t wait toget there.”

Despite mixing it with the world’s topwomen players, Wie approached thetournament with typical youthfulexuberance.

“When you are 15 everything is suchan adventure and such fun you don’treally go in with expectations exactly,”she said, “you just rush around trying totake in as much of a new experience aspossible and that’s what I did. I wasn’tnervous at all, just excited.”

Links golf in this country provides aunique challenge, especially over such an

exacting course as Birkdale, but it is oneWie has embraced with the help ofLeadbetter.

“I think the number of bunkers andhow deep they are was the biggestsurprise,” she said.

“I love playing links golf as it’s funtrying out different types of shots. I willpractise hitting knock-down shots andbump-and-runs ahead of the tournament,for sure.”

Wie will enjoy the chance to againrevel in the history and tradition of acourse that has hosted nine Openchampionships, four women’s Opens andthe Ryder, Curtis and Walker cups in its121 year history.

“To me the golf course is a bigattraction – whenever I’m at a great links,I tend to spend the first half of the weeksoaking up the history,” she said.

“I just love seeing all the old picturesand clubs hanging in the clubhouse – andI love the fact that links golf is where it allstarted. I can’t tell you how much I enjoythe different turf and the differentsituations.

“I didn’t get to look around the rest of

the area much when I was last there somaybe I will get the chance this time.”

Despite the criticism that has comeher way, Wie believes she has used thelast five years well.

“I think I am a more mature playernow, my short game has improved and Iam more knowledgeable and aware aboutmy game and technique,” she says. “I amgetting more confident in my game withall the work I put in as it took me a whileto recover from my wrist injury andrestore my confidence.”

And while she is delighted to have gother first win under belt, Wie believesthere is still room for improvement

“I wish I was doing better right nowbut I feel like I’m getting better everyweek,” she said.

“I wish my results were a little bitbetter but I do feel like every week I'mlearning something, and I am working atit, and I feel like I'm getting better.

“You can't play perfectly every week. Ifthere is something that I need to workon, then I go on and work at it.

“I haven’t given myself a lot of slack. Idon’t attend Stanford in thespring/summer so I have a few monthswhere I can really focus on playingtournaments and improving my game.

“I'm proud of myself for going outthere, even if I'm not playing my best, I’mout there and giving it my all and lookingback with no regrets.”

ie ondealingwith fame, controversyandRoyal Birkdale

WRAPPING UPWARMFOR THE SUMMERMICHELLE WIE has a secretweapon up her sleeve to cope withthe demands of a British summer– an extra layer of clothing.

It may be the end of July whenWie arrives on Merseyside for theRicoh Women’s British Open atRoyal Birkdale, but she is takingno chances on the weather.

The last time the mencompeted in their Openchampionship the weatherdeteriorated as quickly as thescoring – to such an extent thatformer Masters winner Sandy Lylequit in mid round.

Wie will be ensuring she is wellprepared - come wind, rain orshine.

“I will taking extra care inpacking my suitcase to make sureI have the right clothes to dealwith all the weather changes,” sherevealed.

“I do like the challenges thatcome with links golf and thevariable weather and the differentshots you have to play toaccommodate the conditions.

“But I don’t like to be cold sowill make sure I have lots of warmclothes.”

Conditions may be a far cryfrom her homeland in Hawaii, butWie is relishing the challenge atan event which has attracted all ofthe top ten in the women’s worldrankings.

“I love playing in Britain – mycoach David Leadbetter is alwaysgiving me new ideas about how totackle the course,” she said.

“I definitely feel moreexperienced having played a fewmore links courses since 2001.

I am looking forward to seeingeveryone again, too, as I enjoyedwonderful support last time I wasat Birkdale. I found the crowds tobe really knowledgeable,welcoming and supportive.”

And Wie believes the crowdsare in for a treat with an openbattle in prospect for thechampionship crown.

“Of course, I’d love to win,” sheadded. “The last time I was atBirkdale, I had a pretty specialweek.

“I was in the presentationceremony for winning the SmythTrophy for being the leadingamateur so if I could make it backto the presentation ceremony asthe leading professional I would bepretty satisfied!”

But she knows she faces a highlycompetitive field.

“I think it is exciting times forthe LPGA and there are anynumber of players who could win– there is so much talent and youjust never know who will pull itout,” she said.

HATS ON: Michelle Wieembraces Carin Koch at the endof the 2005 Women’s Open


Theinsidetrack

ROYAL BIRKDALE canjustifiably claim to havea global reputation asone of the finest coursesand toughest challenges

in golf.Dating from the 19th century,

all the major championships inboth the professional andamateur game have beenstaged among the Southportdunes.

Birkdale hosted the first ofits nine men’s OpenChampionships in 1954.

Australian Peter Thomsonwon then, and again in 1965, tobe followed down the years byArnold Palmer, Lee Trevino,Johnny Miller, Tom Watson,Ian Baker-Finch, MarkO’Meara and most recently,Padraig Harrington just twosummers ago.

It has hosted the Curtis andWalker Cups and the RyderCup (twice) but it was not until1982 that the Women’s BritishOpen paid its first visit.

It was back again in 1986when England’s Laura Daviespowered to victory to announceher arrival as a professional.

Since then, she has gone onto win more than 70tournaments worldwide.

Now she is heading back tothe scene of that famous andpopular triumph and is ideallyplaced to offer an inside viewof the challenge posed byBirkdale.

1st: 430 yards, par 4The opening hole at RoyalBirkdale was a fairly easypar-five back in 1986 but is nowmuch more difficult as it is thelongest par-four on the course.

It is a left-hand dog-leg thatrequires a drive avoiding the bigmound on the left – knownlocally as ‘Jutland’ – that has adeep bunker in its face.

Too far right though and youcould go out-of-bounds as well ashaving your view of the greenblocked by another mound downthe right side.

A good drive will still leave ademanding second shot forthose attempting to get there intwo.

2nd: 410 yards, par 4The second is a pretty hole that Imanaged to eagle in 1986 but twonew bunkers added for the 2008Open on the right side of thefairway mean that much greatercare is now needed from thetee.

The feature is the siting of thegreen which is surrounded bybunkers and banks, creating atight target beyond the fairwaybunker 30 yards out.

3rd: 373 yards, par 4The key to the third is anaccurate drive avoiding thebunkers in the landing area.

From the fairway therelatively flat green shouldeasily be hit but any waywardapproach will leave a toughrecovery shot from there-contoured surround andcould be a struggle to make par.

4th: 175 yards, par 3I have always thought thatBirkdale has the toughest set ofpar-threes in British golf,especially when the notoriouscross-winds are strong.

The first par-three on thecourse is the longest of the shortholes and a bold tee shot isneeded from the protected tee toreach the green safely. Anythingoff-line or short will miss thetarget so club selection iscritical here.

5th: 338 yards, par 4The fifth – the shortest of thepar-fours – is a right-handdog-leg with no obvious dangersfrom the tee except deep rough

down both sides. Good positionon the fairway is needed for theapproach shot because it mustbe well struck. The long, narrowgreen is almost completelysurrounded by bunkers and thefront-to-back slope combinedwith the difficult borrows morethan make up for the hole’s lackof length.

6th: 478 yards, par 5The first par-five is generallyregarded as one of RoyalBirkdale’s finest holes andpresents a great birdie chance.

Your drive must avoid thebunkers either side of thefairway if you’re hoping for achance to go for the green in two,and you can’t be too far right oryou’ll have a blind shot in. Thelong green is protected well bybunkers in front and dunes allaround and has tricky contoursthat make long putts verydifficult. The sensible approachmight be to lay up and pitchclose to the pin for a birdieattempt.

7th: 145 yards, par 3The par-three seventh with its

characteristic doughnut-shapedbunker seems like a nice andeasy follow-up to the demandingsixth and I recall a nice birdiehere in my final round in 1986.

However, it’s quite achallenge when played from thelonger tee and if the wind is up,it can be hard to avoid thenumerous bunkers and stay onthe upturned-saucer green.

8th: 413 yards, par 4A great chance to let rip from theelevated tee but beware – theremodelled fairway bunkeringcan easily catch you out if you’renot on line and this hole playedthe hardest when the Women’sOpen was last here five yearsago. A nice long draw will leave along second to a green protectedby deep bunkers both sides –classic links. The green is largebut there are few easy pinpositions because it slopesfront-to-back and has manydeceptive borrows.

9th: 397 yards, par 4The ninth is another tough hole,a dog-leg with a blind drive to afairway that has been moved

Hole-by-holeguideby1986championLAURADAVIES

SEA OF DUNES: The spectacular coastal setting or Royal Birkdale, with a view of the 12th

10 TOP NAMES TO FOLLOWAi Miyazato

Japanese golfer rankednumber one in world afteropening season with wins atthe Honda PTT LPGAThailand and the HSBCWomen's Champions, a featthat hadn't beenaccomplished since 1966.

Jiyai ShinSouth Korean topped

LPGA money list in 2009and won Rookie of Yearhonours. In 2008 won theRicoh Women's BritishOpen and the ADTChampionship.

Suzann PettersenFinished second in 2010

US Women’s Open. Sixwins since joining LPGATour in 2003, and has sinceearned six wins, includingone major, the 2007 LPGAChampionship.

Yani TsengThe 21-years-old from

Taiwan burst onto scene bywinning 2008 LPGAChampionship at BulleRock. Landed second majorin April when she won theKraft Nabisco.

Cristie KerrAmerican ranked world

number two. Since joiningLPGA in 1997, Kerr haswon 13 times and earnedmore than $10 million.Cristie claimed secondmajor at LPGAChampionship.

Na Yeon ChoiKorean broke her LPGA

duck in 2009 at SamsungWorld Championship andgrabbed her second win atthe Hana Bank KolonChampionship in Korea.

Paula CreamerFamous for playing in

pink, the ‘Pink Panther’won 2010 US Open by fourstrokes at Oakmont despitethumb injury to claim firstmajor title. Nine-timewinner LPGA Tour.

Anna NordqvistOnly turned pro in 2008

but already has two LPGATour wins, including a major– the 2009 McDonald'sLPGA Championship (herfifth start) and the LPGATour Championship.

Song-Hee KimKorean is still without a

win after four years on tour,but had 12 top ten finishesin 2009 to be one of themost consistentperformers. One of the bestgolfers to have never won atitle.

Karrie WebbAustralia's most

successful female golfer with50 professional wins,including seven majors, in a16 year career. Has won allthe majors and has beeninducted to Hall of Fame.



ontamingofBirkdale

even further to the left since weplayed it in 1986.

It is important that you findthe short stuff, though,because the second shot needsto be accurate and the rightlength. The green is slightlyelevated and club selection isagain crucial because shortshots will be bunkered andanything long is over the backand in trouble.

10th: 360 yards, par 4Your drive on the big dog-legtenth again must bewell-placed to avoid thebunkers on the left and thosedown the right, including anew one far right.

From the middle of thefairway though it is quitestraightforward to get on thegreen, the main feature ofwhich is a ridge. It also slopesback toward the apron so abold shot is needed again tohave a good chance of birdie.

11th: 352 yards, par 4The elevated tee on theeleventh makes you feel likehitting a big drive but this

relatively straightforwardhole has been made moredemanding by the tighteningof the fairway and the additionof a new bunker on the left.

The angle and slope of thegreen makes for difficult pinpositions and the one we alldread is back right where therough seems to come right upto the putting surface.

12th: 149 yards, par 3I consider the short twelfth atBirkdale to be one of the bestpar-threes in Britain.

It is a very attractive hole,cradled in dunes near to thesea, but the deep bunkers andthe close proximity of thedunes can cause problems. Thegreen looks quite inviting fromthe tee but is never that easy tohit, especially in high wind.

13th: 430 yards, par 4The thirteenth has alwaysbeen a testing hole but it is noweven more difficult due to thecarefully reworked bunkersaround the landing area for thedrive. There is also adangerous ditch on the left

which can claim anything offline.

The shot in to the greenneeds to be long and accurateto avoid the greenside bunkers.This hole is the same length asthe first and just as tough – parwill be a good score here.

14th: 163 yards, par 3The last par-three is close tothe clubhouse and practicearea so normally gathers agood crowd.

It is played from anelevated tee which isprotected from the windand the target looks largebut is very open andexposed to theelements. This, andthe deep bunkers inthe newly-shapedsurround, makeit quite hard tofind the correctpart of the greenfor a birdieattempt. As withall of the shortholes at RoyalBirkdale, clubselection is

absolutely critical.

15th: 499 yards, par 5The par-five fifteenth looksquite different to the way it didin the 80s – the trees down theright and behind the greenhave long gone and there arenow 15 bunkers to benegotiated along its way.

These narrow the landingarea but a good drive safely onthe fairway should pave the

way for a long second overthe cluster of fairway

bunkers towards thegreen to set up a birdie,

or eagle, opportunity.However, with

more bunkersguarding the

front of thetricky greenthepercentageshot is a

lay-up to leave a short pitch upto the flag.

16th: 358 yards, par 4This shortish slight dog-legright is an exacting hole thatneeds a long carry over roughground, avoiding the bunkerson the corner.

An accurate drive will leavea fairly simple second over lotsof bunkers to the large,elevated green. The surroundis littered with deep bunkersand hollows so it is imperativethe green is not missed or parwill be tough to make.

17th: 516 yards, par 5The penultimate hole isanother classic as we headback towards the clubhouseover the final stretch.

The drive must split the twodunes and avoid the newbunkers on the right side of thefairway – a slight draw wouldbe perfect. Any drive pitchingon the fairway usually getssome run on this hole and willgive you a chance to reach thenewly-remodelled, two-tiergreen tucked into the dunes.

This hole is now the longest inthe Championship and thegreen is much further backthan it used to be so again alay-up and pitch in could be thesensible play to avoid ruining agood score.

1st: 472 yards, par 5We’ve now arrived at one of themost famous finishing holes ingolf with the gleaming whiteclubhouse waiting in thedistance.

From the right-hand tee, upin the dunes and bushes, theobvious driving hazard is thebunker splitting the fairway.The tendency is to push theball out to the right whichleaves a harder line in to thegreen than the preferred leftside, from where you haveevery chance to get on in twoand finish with a birdie. Thegreen is not the mostdemanding on the course but itis guarded by three bunkerswhich leave a very narrowentrance to it, so once again,laying up short can often be thebest play unless you’re in theperfect position.

CHAMPION:Laura Daviesknows what ittakes to winat Birkdale

green nestling amid the dunes Picture by ALAN BIRCH FINAL APPROACH: The defining image of Birkdale on the run-in to the18th

FIVE STAR: Looking back down the 5th hole from behind the green



www.ricohwomensbritishopen.com

The Royal Birkdale Golf Club . 29 July - 1 August 2010

royal birkdale 2010

Documents