BROOKY DEFENDS SPANISH OPEN IN CASTELLÓN

Brooky working with her coach Godleman

“I’m treating it as a job. I’m really dedicated and I’m not going to quit!” Brooky said. “I’m really happy. I’ve found a really good friend and a really good coach that’s committed to me. He’s getting me to be a great player rather than just a good player.”

Brooky will be joined by Australia’s Nikki Garrett, No.1 in Europe after her maiden win at last week’s Tenerife Ladies Open; Spain’s Paula Marti, the European No.2, Welsh player Becky Brewerton, England’s Trish Johnson and Spain’s Tania Elosegui, ranked third, fourth and fifth on the New Star Money List respectively. A total of 126 players are in the hunt for the €275,000 prize fund.

Italy’s Veronica Zorzi, the two-time French Open champion, returns from playing on the LPGA Tour in America and a win for her will contribute to her ranking for the European Solheim Cup Team. She currently lies sixth in the ranking from which the top five players will qualify, along with four players from the Rolex Rankings and three captain’s selections.

Sweden’s Marlene Hedblom, the 2003 Biarritz Ladies Masters champion and sister of European Tour player Peter Hedblom is also in the field and is spending the first week away from her 15-month old son Tim, who was born on 13th February 2006. The photogenic host of Swedish TV show Golf Resan said: “The course is really fun. Every hole is different and you have to think about where you land the ball. I’m not going to put too many expectations on myself. I’m just going to see how it goes.”

France’s Gwladys Nocera, Stephanie Arricau and England’s Rebecca Hudson will all be aiming for strong performances this week to consolidate their positions inside the top five on the European Solheim Cup standings. They currently lie first, fourth and fifth respectively.