Trish Johnson returns to the course to defend her title at Tenerife Ladies Open
England’s star golfer Trish Johnson, who is also one of Europe’s most celebrated players, has confirmed her participation in next month’s Tenerife Ladies Match Play at Golf Las Américas, where she will try to retain her title that she won last year. The tournament is scheduled from June 9-12, co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour at the Buenavista Golf Club.
Johnson hails from the era when women’s golf was taking a new turn for the good. Passed on by the pioneers, the sport was breaking new grounds as new generation of young and talented ladies were taking the sport to a new level.
Johnson won several amateur titles before turning professional in 1987. She remained champion of the South Western Championship for two consecutive years in 1983 and 84. In 1985, Johnson was the England Amateur Champion, and England Stroke Play Champion.
Just after turning professional, Johnson went ahead to win three tournaments in the first year. The 45-year-old golfer has won 17 times on the LET. Johnson acquired the playing status in the US based LPGA in 1987 after she passed out from the qualifying school.
The veteran golfer was able to win three times on the LPGA. She won the 1993 Las Vegas Tournament and the LPGA Atlanta Women’s Championship the very next week. She won her third and last title on LPGA at the Fieldcrest Cannon Classic in 1996.
Johnson has been part of the European Team in the Solheim Cup for a record eight years in 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2005, and 2007. She was also part of the duo which represented the English team in the 2007 Women’s World Cup of Golf along with Laura Davies. The 45-year-old has 21 professional wins and she won the Tenerife Open last year when she defeated Frenchwoman Virginie Lagoutte-Clement with one shot.
The Tenerife Open is held continuously since 2002 and none of the past winners have ever been able to successfully defend the title. This year, the tournament will feature both forms of the game, the Stroke Play as well as the Match Play formats. A field of 32 players out of 30 European and two guest players will go head to head in the Match Play and the top eight players of the quarter finals will go into the Stroke Play format which will be the final phase of the tournament.
The change in the format of the tournament has been incorporated to allow players to have some practice for the Match Play Solheim Cup scheduled in September this year. Also the Solheim Cup European captain, Alison Nicholas will have better understanding of the player’s capabilities as she retains the authority to select four players out of the 12-member team.
The tournament has the recommendations of the Gobierno de Cannarias besides Turismo de Tenerife as the title sponsors. The prize fund for the 2007 event was €275,000. This year, however, the prize money will be decided after the final results of the tournament.
Tags: