ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters Preview

The Ladies European Tour is in England this week for the ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters. Karrie Webb of Australia defends her title at Buckinghamshire Golf Club in Denham.

Lowdown: The Ladies European Tour is in England this week for the ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters. Karrie Webb of Australia defends her title at Buckinghamshire Golf Club in Denham.

An extremely strong field has gathered for what is one of the most prestigious Ladies European Tour events outside the Majors, with one of the biggest prize-funds.

144 players will tee it up and no fewer than 33 nations will be represented in the tournament. A strong British contingent will be vying for victory on home soil. Teenage sensation Charley Hull will be one of the star attractions, so too Dame Laura Davies and young Stephanie Meadow from Northern Ireland, fresh off her superb third place at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst.

In last season’s European Masters, Australia’s Karrie Webb produced three excellent rounds to finish on 16-under-par at Buckinghamshire GC. The seven-time Major champion beat Ashleigh Simon of South Africa by a single shot. In the inaugural running of the competition in 2012, Lydia Hall of Wales was the champion.

The course at Buckinghamshire Golf Club was designed by John Jacobs and is set across 226 acres of attractive English parkland. Water is a factor with two rivers – the Misbourne and the Colne – coming into play, as well as a number of lakes. The greens are large and that means the holes can easily be stretched or shortened by shifting the pins.

The weather looks like being fine during the week but with the risk of rain over the weekend.

Venue: Buckinghamshire Golf Club, Denham, Buckinghamshire Date: Jul 3-6 Course stats: par 72, 6,498 yards Purse: €500,000 Winner: €60,000 Defending Champion: Karrie Webb (-16)

TV Coverage: Saturday 5 – Sky Sports 4 from 5pm Sunday 6 – Sky Sports 4 from 5pm

Player Watch: Charley Hull – The 18-year-old sensation from Kettering is already a winner on the 2014 Ladies European Tour, after claiming the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco. She was also third in the Turkish Airlines Open.

Stephanie Meadow – The 22-year-old made her professional debut at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst. The Northern Irish woman made quite an impact, ending the week in a fantastic 3rd place.

Karrie Webb – The defending champion has seven Major titles to her name and 57 victories as a professional, claimed all over the world. She’ll be favourite to make it two wins in a row in this event as she looks to complete the perfect preparation for next week’s Ricoh Women’s British Open.

Key hole: 17th. This is a short par 4 of just 330 yards but it’s extremely dangerous. The hole curls around a small lake and anything turning to the left off the tee will end up wet. But there’s little room for error on the right side either, as bunkers line the edge of the fairway. It’s a good strategic test.