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Veronica Zorzi leads home challenge

Rome becomes the capital of women’s golf this week when the cream of Europe’s golfers descend on Sheraton Golf Parco de’ Medici for the second consecutive year to contest the €400,000 BMW Ladies Italian Open title, from June 14-17.

Italy’s emerging superstar Veronica Zorzi and European number one Gwladys Nocera from France are two of the five winners from 2006 who will challenge for this week’s title.

Zorzi, who claimed her second European title in France three weeks ago, is the top ranked Italian player at third in the New Star Money List while Nocera is more than €60,000 clear of Laura Davies in her position as the current European number one.

Nocera, who won her maiden title in Switzerland four weeks ago, is relishing her position at the pinnacle of European golf and aims to become the second French winner of this week’s title following her country woman Ludivine Kreutz’s win in 2003.

Zorzi, whose ball-striking marks her out as such an exciting player to watch, is hoping to become the first home winner of the event in 19 years. She came within inches last year when she holed her approach shot at the last for eagle but was left in second position after Denmark’s Iben Tinning beat her by a shot to claim her second Italian crown.

Tinning is playing in only her second tournament since giving birth to her son Mads in March. The Dane missed the cut by one in her first event of the season two weeks ago in Holland but the defending champion is in ebullient spirit as she prepares to compete for a third BMW Ladies Italian Open title.

Zorzi, who has recorded two top tens in five starts this season, comes to the course refreshed after a two week break and is raring to perform for the home galleries.

“Is nice to be home and if I can produce some magical shots again like last year, there’s no reason why I can’t win,” she said.

In addition to Zorzi, Nocera and Tinning, there is also the surprise home challenge of six-time tournament winner Federica Dassu, who retired from competitive golf at the end of 2003 after winning the Spanish Open. The 49-year-old is considering reigniting her career on the LET. “If I could play well then I might think about coming back on tour part time, but if I won, well, who knows,” she said.

Sophie Sandolo, Stephania Croce, Federica Piovano, Isabella Maconi, Diana Luna and Tullia Calzavara are the other Italians hoping to make a mark on home turf this week at the inland resort course, designed by the Italian David Mezzacane and the American Peter Fazio.

Of the six amateurs in the field, the 16-year-old English player Henrietta Brockway is likely to feature strongly. The Faldo Series protégé is attempting to make her second cut in a Ladies European Tour event after she finished tied for 32nd in last year’s OTP Bank Central European Open in Hungary. In her first appearance on the LET this season, in April’s Tenerife Ladies Open, she missed the halfway cut by one.

A total of 44 of the top fifty European players are in this week’s field including five of the early winners from 2006: Zorzi, Nocera, Riikka Hakkarainen, Lynnette Brooky and Stephanie Arricau.

Glamorous Swede Catrin Nilsmark and Trish Johnson, a winner of 18 tournaments worldwide, add their considerable presence, along with the Australian rookie Anna Rawson, who combines golf with modelling, and the Spanish rookie Tania Elosegui. The 24-year-old Elosegui comfortably leads the Ryder Cup Wales rookie race after two top tens, including a runners-up spot, in only three starts this season.

This year, for the first time and in co-operation with the event promoters Playteam, the Ladies European Tour will donate 1% of the total prize fund (4,000 euros) to the European Institute of Oncology, (IEO); the first hospital in the world to use a new technology in the fight against breast cancer.

Players are also being given the opportunity to make a personal donation of five euros for each birdie they card over the four rounds of the tournament, which starts tomorrow.

June 14, 2006