NIKKI GARRETT SETS HOT PACE WITH 64 IN TENERIFE

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
Report by BETHAN CUTLER, LET Media Manager

Australian Nikki Garrett set a blistering pace as she opened with a career-low round of eight under par 64 at the Tenerife Open de España Femenino at Golf Las Américas on Thursday.

Garrett was out in the first group from the 10^th tee and played flawless golf on a beautiful day with temperatures at 27C and little breeze.

She birdied holes 11, 16 and 17 for a back nine total of three under before picking up five more birdies on the front nine, closing with three in a row from the seventh.

“I just played really solid the whole day. I hit a lot of greens, hit a few close shots that I really capitalised on and sunk the putts. I chipped in out of the bunker on my eighth hole, which is 17, so just everything went well,” said the 28-year-old from Shelly Beach, New South Wales.

Garrett has an excellent record in Spain having won the 2007 Tenerife Ladies Open at Golf Del Sur and then the Open de España Femenino at Sergio Garcia’s home course, Country Club Mediterráneo in Castellón, the following week.

She tied for second behind Becky Brewerton in a non-official Ladies European Tour matchplay event at Golf Las Américas last June and clearly relishes playing in Spain.

“I love Tenerife, I love Spain.  I had both my wins in Tenerife, Spain, so it feels a lot like home. I’m always very relaxed when I play in this part of the world,” said Garrett.

“To come second last year and go out there and I really like the course, so I was really relaxed.”

The 2006 Rookie of the Year explained how she recently started hitting her drives from the turf rather than from a tee in a similar style to Laura Davies.

“I’ve been teeing it up a little bit like Laura the last two and a half weeks and I think for me, thats been a bit of a key because I’ve been playing it well from after the driver, so to get things in the fairway, a good score was bound to happen sooner or later.

“I’ve always practised hitting driver off the deck as a kid, just for fun and just because you want to try and do something different. I think I just commit to it more.

“I had a lesson last week at the British Open off Gerald (Adams), Laura’s caddie, how to do the grass properly, so I’ve got it down packed a little bit now. It’s a lot harder here because the grass sprays everywhere but it’s just a confidence thing and as long as it goes in the fairway I don’t really care.”

Trish Johnson, the 2010 Tenerife Ladies Open champion at Buenavista Golf Club in the north of the island, was at five under after a 67 containing six birdies and one bogey.

The Swindon-based 46-year-old said: “I think it was pretty good all the way around really, from start to finish. I started quite well, one under early on, birdied 16, 17 and one: I was playing the back nine first obviously and got to four under. I made one mistake really. I had a birdie putt to go to six under on the fifth, which I missed. I hit a poor tee shot on the par-three fifth hole, didn’t get up and down, and that was the only poor shot I hit.”

Johnson was clearly happy to have left behind the harsh conditions at the recent Ricoh Women’s British Open and added: “I think anyone who played last week, coming off of that, in two, three, four club winds and really tight fairways that you can’t miss then this is a breath of fresh air.”

Italian Veronica Zorzi, South African Lee-Anne Pace and Germany’s Miriam Nagl carded four under par 68s to lie in a share of third place.

Pace, the 2010 Ladies European Tour money list winner, started with two bogeys on 10 and 11 but fought back with six birdies.

“I played really well today. I started quite badly but made six birdies after that. No more mistakes, so that was good. I definitely left a couple out there,” said Pace, a five-time winner on the Ladies European Tour. 

Pace has a chance to top the LET’s ISPS Handa Order of Merit for a second time with a victory this week and added: “I’m trying to really push this week for the win and getting up there, making a move on the money list, getting a bit closer to the top or if not at the top. I’m very much a big golf mover towards the end of the year.”

Meanwhile Zorzi is going for her first title since 2006. “I played good. I got one eagle, so that was great and I got some pars, two bogeys. I hit 12 fairways, so it’s good. The ball was on the fairways. I hit 13 greens and made 27 putts so the putting was the key today,” said the 31-year-old from Verona.

“The eagle was at the seventh. I hit driver and three-wood and then got a putt, like eight metres. I just tried to roll the ball, not thinking about techniques or how to move the putter. Just rolling the ball where I want to. It was the key for me.”

Zorzi has her boyfriend Alberto Furlani acting as her caddie and is enjoying the fine food and weather for which the Canary Islands are renowned.

“I like the course. It’s in good shape. It’s good weather and for me, when you are in good weather, it’s fine, like in Italy. It’s a bit like home: nice weather, good food. It’s all the things that I like!” she said.

Spain’s own Tania Elosegui and the 2010 Spanish Open champion Laura Davies was in a large group at three under par, while the 2011 and 2009 winners, Melissa Reid and Becky Brewerton, opened with respective rounds of 74 and 78.

  FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD

  Par 72

64 - Nikki Garrett (AUS)

67 - Trish Johnson (ENG)

68 - Veronica Zorzi (ITA) , Lee-Anne Pace (ZAF) , Miriam Nagl (DEU)

69 - Joanna Klatten (FRA) , Florentyna Parker (ENG) , Tania Elosegui (ESP) , Julie Greciet (FRA) , Elizabeth Bennett (ENG) , Frances Bondad (AUS) , Rebecca Artis (AUS) , Anais Maggetti (CHE) , Sophie Sandolo (ITA) , Laura Davies (ENG) , Caroline Masson (DEU)

70 - Sahra Hassan (WAL) , Stacey Keating (AUS) , Ashleigh Simon (ZAF) , Karen Lunn (AUS) , Dawn Shockley (USA) , Carin Koch (SWE) , Hannah Burke (ENG) , Lydia Hall (WAL) , Esther Choe (USA) , Gwladys Nocera (FRA) , Malene Jorgensen (DNK) , Sara Beautell Largo (ESP)

71 - Laura Cabanillas (ESP) , Carlota Ciganda (ESP) , Laurette Maritz (ZAF) , Maria Beautell (ESP) , Celine Palomar (FRA) , Margherita Rigon (ITA) , Rebecca Hudson (ENG) , Danielle Montgomery (ENG) , Nontaya Srisawang (THA) , Cassandra Kirkland (FRA) , Carmen Alonso (ESP)

72 - Sofia Harkonen (FIN) , Caroline Martens (NOR) , Jessica Yadloczky (USA) , Diana Luna (ITA) , Stefania Croce (ITA) , Sharmila Nicollet (IND) , Charlotte Ellis (ENG) , Rebecca Codd (IRL) , Elisabeth Esterl (DEU) , Caroline Afonso (FRA) , Caroline Rominger (CHE) , Charlie Douglass (ENG) , Barbara Genuini (FRA) , Connie Chen (ZAF) , Monique Smit (ZAF) , Heather MacRae (SCO) , Carly Booth (SCO) , Nicole Gergely (AUT) , Ana Larraneta (ESP)

73 - Eleanor Givens (ENG) , Beth Allen (USA) , Caroline Westrup (SWE) , Rachel Bailey (AUS) , Georgina Simpson (ENG) , Mikaela Parmlid (SWE) , Kylie Walker (SCO) , Henrietta Zuel (ENG) , Lucie Andre (FRA) , Clare Queen (SCO) , Virginia Espejo (ESP) , Lucy Williams (ENG) , Stephanie Na (AUS) , Louise Larsson (SWE) , Sophie Walker (ENG) , Maria Ohlsson (SWE) , Patricia Sanz (ESP) , Holly Aitchison (ENG) , Linda Wessberg (SWE) , Marion Ricordeau (FRA) , Virginie Lagoutte-clement (FRA) , Mireia Prat (ESP)

74 - Bree Arthur (AUS) , Valentine Derrey (FRA) , Julie Maisongrosse (FRA) , Marieke Nivard (NLD) , Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) , Jenni Kuosa (FIN) , Titiya Plucksataporn (THA) , Elin Emanuelsson (SWE) , Zuzana Kamasova (SVK) , Melissa Reid (ENG)

75 - Emma Cabrera-bello (ESP) , Marjet Van Der Graaff (NLD) , Pamela Feggans (SCO) , Sandra Carlborg (SWE) , Vikki Laing (SCO) , Suzanne Dickens (ENG) , Adriana Zwanck (ESP) , Line Vedel (DNK) , Tandi Cuningham (ZAF)

76 - Chrisje De Vries (NLD) , Mariana Macias Capuzzi (ESP) , Alison Whitaker (AUS) , Cecilie Lundgreen (NOR) , Yu Yang Zhang (CHN) , Liebelei Lawrence (LUX) , Klara Spilkova (CZE) , Mary Mattson (USA) , Anja Monke (DEU)

77 - Mianne Bagger (DNK) , Sophie Giquel-bettan (FRA) , Stacy Lee Bregman (ZAF) , Kiran Matharu (ENG)

78 - Felicity Johnson (ENG) , Becky Brewerton (WAL) , Kelly Hutcherson (ENG)

79 - Martina Migliori Trapani (ITA) , Stefanie Michl (AUT)

80 - Alexandra Vilatte (FRA) , Steffi Kirchmayr (DEU)

81 - Lucia Cortezo Castillo (ESP) , Gemma Webster (SCO) , Marina Arruti (ESP)

82 - Viva Schlasberg (SWE)

83 - Kym Larratt (ENG)

84 - Sabina Imboden (CHE)

86 - Lara Hernandez Arteaga (ESP)