BMW Ladies Italian Open increases purse

The player's prize fund for next year's BMW Ladies Italian Open will be increased by a third to €400,000.

The event, staged last week at Sheraton Golf Parco de' Medici, was hailed a great success by the Robe di Kappa Ladies European Tour and the event promoter Playteam.

The CEO of Playteam, Giambattista Giannoccaro, announced: "This year's tournament has been such a success that, we want to continue to develop the tournament next year."

"We have seen the prize money increase from €275,000 in 2004 to €300,000 this year. In 2006, we will have a prize fund of €400, 000, making the BMW Ladies Italian Open one of the richest tournaments outside the women's majors," he added.

The substantial increase  from €300,000 to €400,000 reflects the sponsor value that has been gained from this year's tournament.

"We have seen the national title grow from a fairly low profile tournament into a fully fledged international event, with a huge increase in television, radio and all media coverage," added Giannoccaro.

"We have been very pleased with the venue here at Sheraton Golf Parco de' Medici, and we hope to bring the event back here in 2006."

The continued support of the title sponsor BMW, along with the extra media attention that the event attracted, highlights the huge sponsor benefits of hosting an LET women's professional golf tournament.

"We are delighted that such a prestigious company as BMW recognises the tremendous potential of The Ladies European Tour," said Lizza Moya , Managing Director of the Robe di Kappa Ladies European Tour.

"We appreciate that BMW has chosen to support the LET as a channel to showcase their brand .

"To have such a successful event as the BMW Ladies Italian Open on the LET schedule is a fantastic achievement and we look forward to seeing the event continue to develop in the future."

Denmark 's Iben Tinning won the 2005 BMW Ladies Italian Open on Sunday with a dramatic victory over fellow LET member Veronica Zorzi from Italy .

Tinning shot 69-70-66-66=271 to finish at seventeen-under-par. She won by a shot, claiming her second victory of the year on the Robe di Kappa Ladies European Tour.

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