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Laura Davies from England will form part of a stellar cast in the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open at National Golf Club in Belek, Antalya, from May 10th- 13th.
The greatest British player of all time will be making her second appearance in Turkey. In the 2010 event, she was challenging for the lead right up until the last two holes, but double bogeys on 17 and 18 finished her chances and she ended tied for eighth place.
A winner of 79 professional titles in a career that started back in 1985, Laura has represented Europe in the Solheim cup on no less than 12 occasions, including the 2011 winning team. This is more than any other player from either Europe or the United States.
Laura has topped the European money list seven times and been second four times, winning a total of €3,862,399.57 in Europe. In the USA where she has spent much of her career she has amassed a total of 7,300.000USD, making her one of the most successful women professional sports personalities in the world.
The three previous winners of the Turkish title are among the list of entries which will feature 126 players from 22 different countries.
Last year’s´ champion, Christel Boeljon from the Netherlands, is already a winner on the LET this year as she beat a world class field to take the Gold Coast RACV Ladies Masters in Queensland, Australia, with scores of 66,65,68 and 68 for an incredible 21 under par. She had an amazing 2011 season representing Europe as a member of the triumphant Solheim Cup team.
In joint second place behind Christel was another player that will be challenging for the Turkish title: the Italian Diana Luna, who won twice on the LET last year.
The 2010 champion, Melissa Reid of England, who claimed her first professional title in Turkey, had a fabulous 2011 season, also playing on the winning European Cup team and taking two national titles in Holland and Spain. With nine top five places she won a total of 286,577 euros to take her to second on the LET money list for the year. Melissa was disappointed with her fourth place at National Golf Club last year and will be looking to improve on it on her return in May.
Sweden’s Lotta Wahlin won the first Turkish Ladies Open title in 2008 by a tournament record margin of 12 shots. Her winning score of seven under par left the rest of the players struggling a long way behind.
Lotta’s other win on tour came in the 2008 Wales Open. She has had 14 top 10 finishes in her seven year career and will receive a warm welcome back to National Golf Club after some health issues in 2010.
Entry for public is free during the tournament. This is an incredible opportunity to watch some of the greatest women golfers compete on a terrific golf course.
