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STRONG EURO
CONTINGENT AT US OPEN
Twenty members
of the Evian Tour, including 11
members of last year's victorious Solheim Cup team, will play in
the 2001 Women's US Open which starts Thursday at Pine Needles GC
in North Carolina.
Of those players, 10 succeeded at regional qualifying and a further
two are among the top four alternates to make this Europe's strongest
ever presence at the second women's Major of the year.
World number one Annika Sorenstam leads the assault, looking to
add a third US Open title to her CV and her sixth title of an amazing
year so far.
Joining her
is reigning Evian Tour Order of Merit winner Sophie Gustafson, who
will be hoping to add the US Women's Open to her British Open she
won last year at Royal Birkdale.
Former World number one and 1987 US Open champion Laura Davies will
spearhead the British charge, and is joined by 1997 US Open winner
Alison
Nicholas and fellow 2000 Solheim Cup stars Trish Johnson and Scotland's
Janice Moodie.
Scot Catriona Matthew and England's Johanna Head, Joanne Morley
and Suzanne Strudwick complete the British contingent.
Sweden's Maria Hjorth fired a 67, the lowest qualifying score at
The Legacy
GC in Phoenix, to cruise through, while compatriot Helen Alfredsson
returned
a 68 at Brentwood GC in Tennessee.
But most of the Evian tourists qualified at The Standard GC in Atlanta,
with
France's Karine Icher, winner of the 2001 Evian Tour qualifying
school, leading the way with a two under par 70.
Spain's Solheim Cup star Raquel Carriedo, runner up at the La Perla
Italian
Open last week, fired a 71 with England's Head a shot further back.
Sweden's
Sofia Grönberg-Whitmore, New Zealander Lynette Brooky and France's
Marine
Monnet sneaked in with 73's
Solheim Cup Swede Catrin Nilsmark completed the list of qualifiers
with a 70
in Ohio and compatriot Eva Dalhoff and France's Anne Marie Palli
are among
the top four alternates.
Exempt players:
Laura Davies (ENG)
Sophie Gustafson (SWE)
Trish Johnson (ENG)
Carin Koch (SWE)
Catriona Matthew (SCO)
Janice Moodie (SCO)
Joanne Morley (ENG)
Alison Nicholas (ENG)
Annika Sorenstam (SWE)
Charlotta Sorenstam (SWE)
Sectional Qualifiers:
Maria Hjorth (SWE)
Karine Icher (FRA)
Raquel Carriedo (ESP)
Johanna Head (ENG)
Sofia Grönberg-Whitmore (SWE)
Marine Monnet (FRA)
Lynette Brooky (NZL)
Helen Alfredsson (SWE)
Suzanne Strudwick (ENG)
Catrin Nilsmark (SWE)
Alternates:
Anne-Marie Palli (FRA)
Eva Dalhoff (SWE)
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