Women relish Carnoustie prospect

THE prospect of tackling Carnoustie for the first time has appealed to the leading women golfers on the planet, with the top 15 in the world rankings all having confirmed their entries for the Ricoh Women's British Open over the Angus course.

Yani Tseng, the defending champion and world No 1, will head the field on 28-31 July, when she will be joined by second-ranked Cristie Kerr and No 3 Suzan Pettersen, as well as this year's Kraft Nabisco Championship winner Stacy Lewis and two former champions in Jiyai Shin and Karrie Webb.

Pettersen will be bidding to add another major title to her 2007 McDonald's LPGA Championship. "I love the different challenges presented by links golf and I think we are all very excited about playing at Carnoustie for the first time," said the Norwegian.

Michelle Wie, Ai Miyazato, Paula Creamer and Paula Creamer are among the other top-15 players in the field, with the home challenge set to be led by 2009 winner Catriona Matthew.

"I can't wait to play at Carnoustie and I would love to win there," said world No 10 Wie. "It is a very special course and I think the LGU has made a great decision to take the Ricoh Women's British Open there."

Shona Malcolm, the Ladies' Golf Union's CEO, is confident the presence of so many of the game's leading players will create a "real buzz" to this year's tournament. "The field is shaping up to be the most international of all the major championships," she added. "Preparations are going well at Carnoustie as it looks forward to hosting this great championship for the first time."