Irish women eye Solheim Cup spots

IRELAND’s top women golfers are launching their bids to make the European team for the 2011 Solheim Cup clash with the USA.

Killeen Castle in Meath hosts the showpiece biennial event — the female equivalent of the Ryder Cup — and European Tour trio Rebecca Coakley, Tara Delaney and Hazel Kavanagh are desperate to ensure a strong Irish presence in the team.

And the signs are positive with the three finishing inside the top 15 of last week’s Randstad Open de France Dames. Coakley, who had entered the final round two shots off the pace, managed a season-best share of seventh while Delaney and Kavanagh finished together in a tie for 15th on five under par.

Dubliner, Kavanagh, who tied for third place in Austria the previous week, is currently the highest ranked Irish player at 40th on the Henderson Money List.

She said: “I think we’ve all taken a few steps forward. It’s the countdown now to The Solheim Cup and points will start counting. Our own agenda is to play well and hopefully one of us will make it.”

Carlow native, Coakley said: “I think Irish golf gets stronger year by year. The more we can perform then the more young girls will be inspired to take the game further and treat it professionally. It would be very special for me to be able to play in 2011; to be at home and have my friends and family around me.”

First year tour player Delaney, also from Carlow, expressed delight with her career best finish in France.

“It was the first tournament that I played reasonably well all four days so I was very happy,” she said. “I’ve been working on a few things and I was a bit unsure of what would come from what I was doing. I had to stick at it. I knew I was close to playing some really good golf. I think mentally I had to keep going through when it wasn’t going so well. I had to keep believing that what I was doing was the right thing.

“A lot of people back home are really happy to see the Irish up there. I can’t pinpoint why but they all work really hard on their own games. Hazel has been out here a while now and it’s good to see her do well. I’m really delighted for her and Rebecca too. It’s probably her fifth year and it’s good to see the hard work they’ve been doing paying off. It gives me hope that I can be up there and doing well too.”

This week the Irish contingent will tee up in the Tenerife Ladies Open at Golf Costa Adeje where England’s Rebecca Hudson defends the title in a quality field.