Solheim Cup Nights with Captain Alison Nicholas

One of the UK’s most successful golfers and Europe’s 2011 Solheim Cup captain, Alison Nicholas will be sharing her thoughts ahead of September’s eagerly anticipated showdown. Edgbaston Golf Club, Birmingham and Fulford Golf Club, York will be the venues for an exclusive Solheim Cup evening on June 1st and June 2nd respectively.

Alison Nicholas’s career in golf has spanned from 1980 to 2004, starting off late at the age of 17 but quickly went on to represent Yorkshire at county level and turned pro in 1984. Since then she has claimed 18 professional titles and represented Europe in the inaugural Solheim Cup in 1990. The highlight of Alison’s career came in 1997 when she was crowned US Open Champion and held off golfing legend Nancy Lopez to win her first major.

Nicholas will be leading the best European players from the Ladies European Tour (LET) against the best U.S. players from the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour in the biennial, trans-atlantic team match-play competition. The U.S. Team leads the competition 8-3 and has never lost The Solheim Cup on home soil. In 2009, the Americans kept their untarnished home record intact at Rich Harvest Farms with a 16 to 12 victory against the Europeans. It’s now Europe’s turn to win back the trophy in Ireland at Killeen Castle on September 23-25.

Alison Nicholas, who has been awarded a MBE for her services to women’s golf is looking forward to her trip to Birmingham and York ahead of the September competition. She said “I really enjoy meeting other golfers and telling stories from on and off the course. It will be great to be in Birmingham and York to share my own Solheim Cup Stories as excitement builds towards the tournament.”

Event Organisers Tourism Ireland said “To have Alison at Edgbaston and Fulford Golf Club will be great inspiration for the local golfing community. We can’t wait to meet her and support the team in September for the Solheim Cup.”

Guests at the evenings will have the chance to win a trip to Ireland and attend the Solheim Cup at the beautiful Killeen Castle. Information will also be available on event tickets and Solheim Cup packages.

Event Details:
Wednesday, June 1, at Edgbaston Golf Club, Birmingham
Thursday, June 2, at Fulford Golf Club, York
Both evenings start at 7.30pm and include a complimentary drink and canapés

To register email news@englishwomensgolf.org confirming which evening you wish to attend (Edgbaston Golf Club or Fulford Golf Club), your name, golf club and contact phone number. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Anna Nordqvist

Sponsored by Puma for footwear and apparel since her rookie year in 2009, Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist now joins the likes of Ian Poulter, Johan Edfors, Lexi Thompson, Jason Gore, and an ever expanding team of professional golfers using Cobra clubs.

The 23 year old followed a spectacular rookie season with earnings of $442,088 in 2010, competing in only 21 events, she is currently ranked at No 14 in the world.

Brian Zender, Senior Vice President and General Manager of COBRA-PUMA GOLF said:

“Anna’s performance and presence on the course make her an ideal Tour ambassador for Cobra, and her signing demonstrates our focus and expansion in the women’s market. She’s a rising young star with a promising future ahead as a professional golfer, and we’re thrilled to have her representing Cobra Golf.”

An excited Anna Nordqvist said:

“I’m really excited to be involved with this great brand, Cobra is well-known for its innovation, technology and performance. I chose to play Cobra equipment because I’m convinced that it will help me perform better and catapult my game to the next level.”

Growing up in Eskilstuna, Sweden, Nordqvist was involved in many different sports from an early age and shared an athletic interest with her brothers and parents. She began playing golf at age 13 because she claims she didn’t want to be the worst golfer in her family.

That desire quickly led to a burning passion. She eventually attended Arizona State University, where she helped lead the golf team for 2½ years before leaving to pursue her dream of playing professional golf. The six-foot-tall star now resides in Orlando.

Anna will now feature prominently as the face of COBRA-PUMA Golf marketing campaigns as well as attending consumer and trade events on behalf of the sponsor.

So, just what does Anna Nordqvist have in her Cobra bag?

S3 9.5° Driver with Mitsubishi Bassarra Hawk 53g Regular flex shaft
S3 Fwy 15° with Graphite Design DI 6S shaft
Baffler Rail 3/H with Aldila NV 75S shaft
S2 Forged 4-PW with Nippon 1130 R shafts

La Quinta Golf Academy New Programme for Ladies

La Quinta Golf Academy in Marbella, Spain directed by Manuel Pinero presents the New Programme designed especially for ladies. Their professionals are ready to teach, develop and improve all aspects of the game for ladies of all levels.

La Quinta Golf Academy will offer ladies the opportunity to learn the fundamentals and techniques of the swing, the short game, putting, the basic rules and etiquette in an easy and entertaining way.

The new programme will start in February every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00am, 1 hour daily. It will be required a minimum of two ladies and will be organised in small groups.

La Quinta Golf Academy New Programme for Ladies Prices

2 days a week               120 euros/person (8 hours)
1 day a week                 65 euros/person (4 hours)

For more information call +34 952 762 390 or visit the La Quinta Golf website.

The results of the study confirm that golfers commonly sustain injuries; the lower back being the most commonly injured area, however, the knee was the most frequently injured area with female golfers (29%).

Of the injuries sustained by both male and female golfers, 58% were significant enough to require treatment, with the most commonly sought help being their GP. However, physiotherapists were more commonly consulted by the female participants. Overall, Osteopathy was reported as providing the most effective treatment. Of those seeking treatment, 29% of those visited an Osteopath, which had the highest ‘mean response’ to treatment with the average of 4 (3.97) on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being ‘strongly agreed that treatment aided recovery’. The ‘mean response’ to the GP visit dropped to an average of 3 (2.92) on the same scale, and 3 (3.06) for visits to other health care professionals, such as those offering acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropody and hospital.

The survey also demonstrated a significant difference between age group and knowledge of Osteopathy, with 43% of the participants having a basic knowledge of Osteopathy having a mean age of 53 years. Those who did not know of Osteopathy had a younger mean age of 49. Whilst the survey showed a significant difference in knowledge of Osteopathy between age groups, there was no significant difference between male and female respondents.

As to possible reasons why female amateurs sustained more injuries than their male counterparts, these could be that the male respondents of the survey were generally younger, with a lower mean handicap in comparison to the female participants. Yet the female respondents played on average four rounds per month more than male respondents and also had a greater number of years experience. One reason may be that the majority of women (44%) reported never having warmed up prior to play, whereas 49% of men responding reported sometimes warming up prior to play.

The research also showed that the most popular means of golf club transportation with women amateur golfers was by electric trolley (84%), whereas most male golfers pulled a standard trolley (46%). Furthermore, none of the female respondents reported carrying a double strap golf bag because of their use of the electric trolley, compared to 20% of men.

Tilly Vesely, the report’s author, said, “It’s really no surprise that golfing causing injuries that warrant the attention of a healthcare professional; contrary to popular belief, golf requires the use of nearly every muscle in the body, from the intrinsic musculature of the foot to the deep muscles of the neck. The satisfaction of treatment, however, was markedly increased with Osteopathy, compared to other treatments.”

Ironically, however, exercise was the most common advice suggested to those seeking help from all healthcare providers (GPs, Osteopaths, Physiotherapist, and Chiropractor).

A Survey of Golfing Injuries

The research paper, ‘A Survey of Golfing Injuries’ was conducted by BCOM final year Masters student, Tilly Vesely. A total of 300 questionnaires were sent to randomly selected golfers.

The partnership officially launches at the Wendy’s Challenge, which takes place at the Rio Secco Golf Club in Las Vegas on December 19th 2009 and will continue through 2010.

The Birdies For Breast Cancer Collection is inspired by Kwiat’s signature Platinum Star Collection and includes a pair of delicate drop earrings as well as a pendant of the same design.

Cristie Kerr will wear both pieces on tour through 2010. She says of the new partnership:

“I am delighted to have Kwiat join us in our mission to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer. The earrings and pendant that they created are truly stunning. Our hope is that these subtle pieces will serve as a reminder of those we have lost to the disease, and hope for the future.”

Following the launch at Wendy’s Challenge the collection will debut to the public at Kwiat’s Madison Avenue flagship boutique. The collection will later be made available at Kwiat in Las Vegas and all other Kwiat retailers.

Kwiat will be donating 10% of all proceeds directly to benefit Birdies For Cancer.

European captain Alison Nicholas had seen her team put in a fantastic performance in the pairs event, but then watched her side comprehensively beaten by the US hosts going down 8-4 on the day and 16- 12 overall.

The European team struggled after losing the first three matches on the trot, Paula Creamer, Angela Stanford and rookie superstar Michelle Wie getting the best of Suzann Pettersen, Becky Brewerton and Helen Alfredsson in their respective fixtures.

It was left to veteran 45 year old Laura Davies to get Europe’s first points on the scoreboard having  halved her match with Brittany Lang. Gwladys Nocera with half against Juli Inkster and Catriona Matthew with a 3&2 win over Kristy McPherson helped to keep the match alive.

Brittany Lincicome and Christina Kim added two more wins for the USA, with Sophie Gustafson and Tania Elosegui on the losing side for the visitors, before Morgan Pressel scored the decisive point for the USA on the 16th green after Anna Nordqvist missed an eight foot putt in the eleventh match.

Diana Luna then beat Nicole Castrale with a 3&2 and Janice Moodie and Natalie Gulbis halved their match to bring the tournament to an end and victory to the United States for the third consecutive time.

European captain Alison Nicholas said after the tournament;

“The girls have played well, it was good fun, but it’s still disappointing. The girls tried to keep up with them but they just holed a few more putts than us. It’s tough to come over here and win, and to be honest with you, we were huge underdogs to start the week.”

photo hunter martin getty images

LPGA tour members, athletes, celebrities and local businessmen  joined top Ladies golfer Cristie Kerr at Liberty National in Jersey City on August 14th, to raise money and promote awareness for breast health education, in the 5th Annual Birdies for Breast Cancer Charity Golf Classic.

The event featured a golf tournament with some of the best female players in the world, followed by a dinner prepared by celebrity chef Todd English. This was followed with a silent auction and a poker tournament.

The golf tournament was won by the team captained by Dorothy Delasin, with the help of Dave Hill, Steve Callahan and Danny Lavecchia from the Barclays Group. Cristie Kerr teamed up with Dan Fireman and Andrew Spellman of Fireman Capital and Chef  Michael Schlow.

The Poker tournament went to the last table with four players remaining and was declared a draw. The prize of an Audemars Piguet watch was handed back to Birdies for Breast Cancer and will be sold off with proceeds going to the charity.

The Birdies for Breast Cancer charity was founded in 2003 by top LPGA golfer Cristie Kerr. All proceeds from this years event go towards establishing the Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Centre at Liberty Health’s Jersey City Medical Center.

cristie kerr-liberty health

One of the top professional woman’s golfers, Cristie Kerr last week joined Liberty Health in announcing the founding of The Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Center on the Jersey City medical centre campus. The center will offer breast cancer screening programs including free mammograms and education to women with or without insurance.

To be equipped with both analog and digital mammography equipment, The Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Center will mark the first full-service facility in the Hudson County area providing detection, healing, support, and recovery services.  Cristie Kerr and LibertyHealth aim to have the center fully functioning and open to the community by February 1, 2010.

Cristie Kerr is a passionate breast cancer activist, having witnessed her mother, aunt and godmother battle the disease.  In 2003, she founded the non-profit organization Birdies for Breast Cancer with a mission to raise funds and awareness.

Cristie currently ranks number one  in Rolex Player of the Year points and number two on the Ladies Professional Golf Association’s (LPGA) Money List, with nine top-10 finishes in 15 tournaments this year.  On Friday, August 14, Cristie will host the fifth annual Birdies for Breast Cancer Charity Golf Classic in Jersey City at Liberty National where all proceeds will be dedicated to developing The Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Center.

“I am truly proud to be a part of something that so many women and their families will benefit from,” said Cristie Kerr.  “I look forward to collaborating with LibertyHealth, which already plays such a crucial role to the Hudson County community, to accomplish our shared aspirations.”

It was interesting to see how many Asian ladies finished in the top 20, showing there is a real dominance in the sport.

There was an amzing 13 Asian players in the top 20, including nine Koreans. The British open betting certainly backed one of them to win the tournament.

Ji-Yai Shin’s victory is yet another win this year by Asian players following Ya-Ni Tseng’s victory in the LPGA Championship and Korea’s Inbee Park success in the Women’s US Open.

The Women’s British Open defending champion, Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa, finished on 11 under, while probably the greatest women’s golfer of all time, Annika Sorenstam, finished on six under in her final major.

Cristie Kerr, who finished sixth on 12 under, was the highest-placed American, while Finland’s Minea Blomqvist, who finished tied for 17th on eight under, was the top European.

So, who is she? Well, she only turned professional in January 2007, with the most significant time of her amateur career coming in 2004 when she defeated Michelle Wie to win the US Women’s Amateur Public Links.

Considering that fact that this is Tseng’s first season on the US circuit, the victory is all the more remarkable. Not many golf bets would have gone on this youngster to win, with more money likely to be placed on the two highest ranked female players. However, Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam finished way off the lead – 11 shots to be precise.

In what has been a record-breaking time for women’s golf, Tseng has become the first ever player from Taiwan to win an LPGA Championship. It must be a proud time for her as she has done her country proud. Tseng has now earned $835,241 on the LPGA tour, with her latest victory likely to change the rest of her life – expectations will now rise and she is no longer an unkown talent.

Although realistically, she will remain unknown to a lot of golf fans in England. Women’s golf doesn’t get half as much TV coverage as the men’s game and young talents such as Tseng could potentially pass some people by. The most famous female golfer is Michelle Wie and she has fallen from grace somewhat in the past couple of years. Perhaps Yseng or emerging Scottish golfer Carly Booth can help draw attention to the women’s game.