(Remeteségpuszta, Hungary July 13 2005) Minea Blomqvist from Finland is aiming for back-to-back victories as she defends her maiden Tour title at this week’s €165,000 OTP Central European Open in Hungary.
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| Blomqvist last year in Hungary |
“On this golf course, low scores are possible. It’s pretty wet so it’s playing longer than last year.
“If I want to make the “big girls’ Solheim Cup” team I have to play my best golf for the upcoming events. A couple of tournament victories should be enough – and that’s what I’m going to do.”
With a newly rediscovered confidence following last week’s rounds of 67, 69 and 69, Blomqvist will be a formidable opponent this week with her clear goal in mind.
“Putting on the European team’s playing outfit would mean so much. You would not just play for yourself, but for Finland and the European team and the whole of Europe. There will be all the best players from the US and Europe – that would be fantastic,” she said.
“I have some unforgettable memories of Hungary so that will help. Old Lake GC suits my game perfectly so I believe I’ll do great in the event again.”
Despite a slow start to the season it is clear that the fighting Finn has re-focused her game with the richest part of the season still to come.
“The 2005 season has been a little bit of a disappointment to me. At the beginning of the season I trusted I would make top ten finishes at almost every tournament. But the season is still young and I have to trust that I will be at my best for the rest of the tournaments,” she said.
Currently 12th in The Solheim Cup rankings, Blomqvist will have some work to do if she is to impress The 2005 European team Captain Catrin Nilsmark, who is also playing in the OTP Bank Central European Open field this week.
Blomqvist, currently 13th in the Money list, is joined by a number of this season’s champions, any one of whom is capable of posting a low score at any time.
The Tenerife Ladies Open Champion, Ludivine Kreutz from France, is playing in an exciting three ball with Nilsmark and country woman Gwladys Nocera. Ekelundh, the Algarve Ladies Open of Portugal Champion is paired with Blomqvist, and Piovano, the Siemens Austrian Ladies Open Champion, will tee off alongside in form players Lynnette Brooky from New Zealand and Becky Brewerton from Wales.
Brewerton is in line for a maiden victory after a superb performance which left her tied for third position with Laura Davies at last week’s Ladies English Open.
But with the most richly rewarding tournaments in terms of Solheim Cup points still to be played at the Evian Masters and Weetabix Women’s British Open in the next three weeks, there is still a tremendous amount at stake on the ladies European Tour.
