 |
| Anaïs Maggetti stands in front of the 18th green at Golf Gerre Losone ahead of the 2012 Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open |
Anaïs Maggetti, Switzerland’s highest ranked player on the Ladies European Tour, is back home this week to play in the Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open for the first time since turning professional in January.
 |
Maggetti took a week off to prepare for the tournament, in which she has played on five previous occasions as an amateur with a best finish of 14th in 2010.
She will once again tee up at her home club, Golf Gerre Losone, which is nestled in a scenic valley amongst the foothills of the Swiss Alps in Ascona-Locarno, Ticino – the southernmost canton of Switzerland.
The 21-year-old lives only a five minute walk from the course, where she has played almost every day since it opened in September, 2001.
“It’s always nice to play at home because all the people that play in my club will come to watch and support me. I can sleep at home: that’s nice. I’m happy to be here and playing at my home golf course,” said Maggetti, who is hoping for a top-20 finish this year.
“Maybe I will have a little bit more pressure because all the people expect me to do well because it’s my course and I did well the past year, but it’s not like bad pressure, it’s a good one,” she added. Her father, Mario, will act as caddie for the tournament while her whole family will be at the venue.
Maggetti, who finished second at LET Qualifying School in January, is ranked 79th on the LET order of merit in her rookie season after four events played. She has made all four cuts with a season-best tie for 29th in Germany.
 |
“I think it’s good that I’ve made four cuts. I think it’s important at the beginning to make the cut, but I’m not very happy about my long game: I have too much draw. My putting is good and now I’m working a little with my coach, who is here too this week. I’ve started to feel my swing better.”
There are nine Swiss players in the field, including four Swiss amateurs and five Swiss professionals. In addition to Maggetti, the other Swiss professionals are Caroline Rominger, Fabienne In-Albon, Melanie Mätzler and Florence Luscher, while the amateurs are Valeria Martinoli, Fanny Vuignier, Cylia Damerau and Nadine Gruter.
 |
The tournament starts on Thursday and has the third largest prize fund on the LET schedule, with a pot of €525,000 and €78,750 for the winner.
Last year’s champion was Italian Diana Luna, who has returned to defend her title. Lee-Anne Pace, Marianne Skarpnord and Gwladys Nocera are the three other former event winners in the field, while prominent competitors also include Laura Davies, Helen Alfredsson, Karen Lunn, Carly Booth, Anne-Lise Caudal and Line Vedel. The highest ranked player in the field at present is Spanish rookie Carlota Ciganda, who is placed second on the order of merit after earning her maiden win a fortnight ago in Holland.
Anaïs Maggetti Profile:
Born 9th December, 1990, in Losone
Hobbies: snowboarding, watching ice-hockey, music, playing tennis
Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open: 14th place 2010; 22nd place 2008 (best amateur)
Twitter: @AnaisMaggetti
Official Sponsors:
Outfitters: PUMA / COBRA
Outfitters via LET: Titleist / FJ
Personal Sponsors: Swiss Golf Foundation, Swiss Golf Pro Supporter Club, Jaguar, Golf Gerre Losone.
