When World number one Annika Sorenstam tees up at Drottningholm Golf Club from the 7th-10th August to defend the Swedish Open title , it will be in a tournament with a new name.
The Compaq Open, which has been part of the Ladies European Tour since 1996, will be changing its name to HP Open following the recent acquisition of Compaq by Hewlett-Packard.
“The change of name to HP Open will have no effect” said Carl-Gunnar Sandin from IMG, the Tournament promoters.
“We will continue to develop the tournament and look forward to welcoming all the top European Tour players to Drottningholm this summer. With Annika returning to Stockholm for the first time since 2000, the event is sure to attract large galleries who will be keen to watch the world’s best female golfer in action.”
Sorenstam, who was voted Swedish Golfer of the Year in 2002, said: “It was a tremendous experience to play at Vasatorp last year and one of my highlights of 2002. I will never forget the fantastic support from the crowds and I am looking forward to returning to Sweden in August.”
The HP Open will be taking place five weeks before this years Solheim Cup and Sweden’s Catrin Nilsmark, the European Team captain, has already confirmed her participation.
This will be one of the final opportunities for players to gain valuable points in order to gain one of the seven automatic qualification spots or impress the captain enough before she selects the team to face the USA at Barsebäck G&CC in September.
Drottningholm GC will be a new venue for the Ladies European Tour. This stunning course is situated just outside Stockholm and has hosted many International tournaments over the years – the most recent being the 1994 Scandinavian Masters, won by Fijian Vijay Singh.
Commenting on the change in name, Anders Garberg, Marketing Director at Hewlett-Packard Sverige AB said:
“Changing the title to HP Open is a natural consequence following Hewlett-Packard’s acquisition of Compaq. Hewlett-Packard will now continue Compaq’s previous support of women’s golf and take over their position as the title sponsor of one of the biggest tournaments on the Ladies European Tour. We are looking forward to this year’s event and to welcoming the world’s elite to the HP Open and to Drottningholm.”
