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| Stacy Lewis: the 2013 Ricoh Women’s British Open champion |
Defending Champion Stacy Lewis faces tough competition at this year’s Ricoh Women’s British Open as past Champions, Jiyai Shin, (2012, 2008) Yani Tseng (2010. 2011) and Catriona Matthew (2009) look to reclaim the title at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England, 10 –13 July.
Former World Number One, Yani Tseng, who won the Championship when it was last played at Royal Birkdale in 2010, is very excited to return to the scene of her first Ricoh Women’s British Open victory. Tseng explained, “I really feel like I am starting to find my form again and I am gradually regaining my confidence. I am hoping a win is just around the corner and the Ricoh Women’s British Open is certainly a title I would love to hold again. Knowing that I will be playing on a course that suits my game and where I have won before is a big advantage so I can’t wait to return to Royal Birkdale Golf Club in July.”
Catriona Matthew, who won the 2009 Ricoh Women’s British Open at nearby Royal Lytham, remarkably only 11 weeks after the birth of her second child, is another star who is counting down the days until the Tournament. Mathew commented, “The Ricoh Women’s British Open is one of the most important weeks in the year for me and I always look forward to returning to play in front of the golf fans in the North West. Their encouragement definitely helped me over the line in 2009 and I would love to be able to reward their support by winning at Royal Birkdale this summer.”
The 39th Championship takes place in the week preceding the Open Championship, marking the start of a veritable feast of golf allowing golf fans to watch both the best female and male golfers in the world in a golden fortnight this summer.
The 2014 Ricoh Women’s British Open will be showcased on BBC Television and around the world. In addition to the extensive live coverage provided by the BBC across the four days, the Championship will be broadcast in almost one hundred countries around the world. Once again this year fans will be able to watch in HD (high definition) underlining the significance of the Championship in the BBC’s sports portfolio.
The Ricoh Women’s British Open was founded by the LGU in 1976 and is staged in conjunction with IMG, the world’s largest sports marketing company. The event has been co-sanctioned by the LPGA and LET since 1994 and gained Major status in 2001.
Ricoh is a global technology company specialising in office imaging equipment, production print solutions, document management systems and IT services has been the title sponsor of the Ricoh Women’s British Open since 2007.
About the Ladies’ Golf Union (“LGU”):
Founded in 1893, the LGU is the encompassing body for ladies’ amateur golf in Great Britain & Ireland. The LGU Executive Council includes representatives of ladies’ golf’s national governing bodies in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Operational activities are undertaken by a wholly owned subsidiary, LGU Championships Limited (“LGUCL”), which in particular owns and runs the Ricoh Women’s British Open, founded by the LGU in 1976 and one of the five Major Tournaments for Professional Women golfers. LGUCL also has responsibility for running British Amateur Championships and Home International events, and preparing the Great Britain & Ireland teams for representative matches, such as the Curtis Cup and the Vagliano Trophy.
Further information about the LGU is available on www.lgu.org.
About Ricoh:
Ricoh is a global technology company specialising in office imaging equipment, production print solutions, document management systems and IT services. Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group, operates in more than 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ending March 2013, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 1,924 billion yen (approx.20 billion USD).
The majority of the company’s revenue comes from products, solutions and services that improve the interaction between people and information. Ricoh also produces award-winning digital cameras and specialised industrial products. It is known for the quality of its technology, the exceptional standard of its customer service and sustainability initiatives.
Under its corporate tagline, imagine. change. Ricoh helps companies transform the way they work and harness the collective imagination of their employees. For further information, please visit www.ricoh.com/about/
About IMG:
IMG Worldwide is a global sports, fashion and media business, with nearly 3,000 employees operating in more than 30 countries around the globe. IMG’s areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging: IMG College; IMG’s Joint Ventures in India, China, Brazil and Turkey; IMG Media; IMG Events and Federations; IMG Fashion; IMG Models; IMG Art+Commerce; IMG Clients; IMG Academy; IMG Consulting and IMG Licensing. More information is available at www.imgworld.com. Follow IMG on Twitter and Facebook.
