Hacienda del Alamo Women's Winter Golf Festival

Please note that the dates for the 2009 Hacienda del Alamo Women's Winter Golf Festival in Murcia, Spain have already been set: February 11 to 24th

PRESS RELEASE FROM COLIN FARQUHARSON, CAL CARSON GOLF AGENCY
LEAGUE OF NATIONS ENTRY FOR FIRST HACIENDA DEL ALAMO WOMEN'S WINTER FESTIVAL

The inaugural Hacienda del Alamo Women's Winter Festival - February 10 to 23, 2008 - has attracted an entry of 50 golfers from a wide area.
Thirteen of them are professionals from Argentina, Belgium, England, Ireland, Scotland, Spain and Wales.
The professionals include Danielle Masters from Kent, who partnered Trish Johnson as England's team of two in the Women's World Cup of Golf in South Africa earlier this month
When she was an amateur Danielle played for Great Britain & Ireland in the Curtis Cup matches against the United States, as did Ireland's Claire Coughlan and Martina Gillen, other pro contestants at the Festival.
Scotland's Jenna Wilson, now a professional but still the reigning Scottish women's amateur champion, is among the entrants from the "Home of Golf."
Thirty-two entrants are amateurs from Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales plus one "local," Vicki Smith from the Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort.
There was no minimum or maximum age limit on the entries and the ages range from 12-year-old Amber Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer) and 13-year-old Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough) to some senior (over-50) ladies.
There were also some entrants with very low handicaps, such as the two Scots, Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder) and Michele Thomson (Ellon) who both play off +1 and are members of the Scotland women's amateur international team.
Michele, in fact, has a chance of being selected for the GB&I team for this year's Curtis Cup match over the Old Course, St Andrews at the end of May.
Six events make up the Festival programme from February 11 to 23 – two 36-hole competitions, two 18-hole stableford events and two Saturday pro-ams which will Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort residents.

"I think this could be the start of something big," said director of golf Billy Sim whose long-time friendship with fellow Scot and golf writer Colin Farquharson, the tournament organiser, led to their often discussed idea of a Women's Golf Festival coming off the drawing board and into reality in February 2008.

ENTRIES
PROFESSIONALS
Claire COUGHLAN (Ireland)
Tracey CRAIK (Scotland)
Lauren DIGGLE (Wales).
Martina GILLEN (Ireland)
Nicky LUMB (England)
Maria MARTIN LOPEZ (Spain).
Danielle MASTERS (England)
Natasha MORGAN (Wales)
Jacqueline PECOITZ (Argentina).
Marian RIORDAN (Ireland).
Katie THOMSON (Scotland).
Lien WILLEMS (Belgium).
Jenna WILSON (Scotland).

AMATEURS
Orla BARRY (Galway) handicap 5.
Lisa BARTON (Coventry) handicap 2
Jane BINNING (Frilford Heath) handicap 2.
Anna CARLING (Vale of Glamorgan) handicap 4.
Sarah CARTY (The Island, Dublin) handicap 4.
Kimberley CROOKS (Saltburn by the Sea) handicap scratch. Age 16.
Charlotte DALTON (Ladbrook Park) handicap 3. Age 18
Azimina DESMOND (Hollywood Lakes, Ireland) handicap 11. Senior.
Cara EASTON (Dalmahoy) handicap 8. Age 15.
Mandy EASTON (Dalmahoy) handicap 5.
Marion GEOGHEGAN (Navan) handicap 13.
Kate EVANS (Frilford Heath) handicap 7.
Rebecca GEE (Wellingborough) handicap 5. Age 16.
Annie GOWING (Frilford Heath) handicap 5.
Tara GRIBBEN (Warrenpoint) handicap 5. Age 16.
Eveleen HIGGINS (Laytown/Bettystown) handicap 13. Senior.
Gemma JENNINGS (Navan) handicap 12.
Mary McAREE (Navan) handicap 20.
Judy McCAIRNS (Frilford Heath) handicap 9. Senior.
Kirsten MacCALLUM (McDonald Ellon) handicap 20. Age 14.
Lauren MacCALLUM (McDonald Ellon) handicap 7. Age 17.
Mary MacLAREN (Wellingborough) handicap 4.
Meghan MacLAREN (Wellingborough) handicap 7. Age 13.
Caroline MURPHY (Grange, Dublin) handicap 9. Age 17.
Emma O'DRISCOLL (Ballybunion). Handicap 5. Age 15.
Emily OGILVY (Auchterarder) handicap +1.
Karen OGILVY (Auchterarder) handicap 16.
Amber RATCLIFFE (Royal Cromer) handicap 18. Age 12.
Carla REYNOLDS (Seapoint) handicap 5. Age 16.
Paula REYNOLDS (Seapoint) handicap 19.
Margaret ROONEY (Navan) handicap 20.
Philomena SHEERAN (Navan) handicap 20.
Vicki SMITH (Hacienda del Alamo) handicap 5.
Ami STOREY (Ponteland) handicap scratch.
Rhian Wyn THOMAS (Vale of Glamorgan) handicap 1.
Michele THOMSON (McDonald Ellon) handicap +1. .
Jane WHIRISKEY (Galway). Handicap 13.