Webb confident for Masters record bid

Karrie Webb doesn't know where her game is at but she's confident she can win the Australian Ladies Masters for a record ninth time.

Australian golfer Karrie Webb

Karrie Webb believes history is on her side as she bids for a ninth Australian Ladies Masters crown. (AAP)

Karrie Webb believes history is on her side as she bids for a record ninth Australian Ladies Masters crown.

Webb stands to eclipse Sam Snead and Tiger Woods if she retains her title on the Gold Coast, both American greats having also achieved eight wins in a single tournament.

And it would put her level with countryman and five-time British Open champion Peter Thomson, who won the New Zealand Open nine times.

The 39-year-old Webb has taken a typically low-key approach to her first tournament of the year, spending the New Year and January in her north Queensland hometown of Ayr.

It means Webb heads into the Ladies Masters with no competitive golf in weeks but she's confident her history and comfort level at the Royal Pines course will help ensure she hits the ground running.

"While I don't quite know where my game is, coming here I have good feelings about how I've played here and even my practice round today was very relaxed," Webb said.

"I just don't put myself under a lot of pressure here."

Former world No.1 Webb's victory in last year's Ladies Masters put her level with Snead (Greater Greensboro Open) with eight wins in an event, though Woods joined the pair later in 2013 when he won both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational for the eighth time.

The seven-time major winner believes she may only have one chance to go ahead of Woods, given he will have two chances to claim a ninth title later this year.

"It'd be very special," Webb said.

"I can't imagine Tiger not winning one of those two events again for the rest of his career so it'd be nice to be the first to do it."

Former champions Yani Tseng and Laura Davies will be among the field vying to prevent Webb creating golfing history.

But American youngster Jessica Korda, who played with Webb in the final group at last year's tournament, thinks it's hard to look past the Queenslander achieving the record come Sunday evening.

"I will try my best but it's tough to beat Webbie where she's comfortable," Korda said.

And it's that comfort level which Webb is counting on to carry her through the event.

"I really can't pinpoint what it is about the course but maybe it's just the relaxed atmosphere of the Gold Coast," she said.

"That has made me come in here not putting a whole lot of pressure on myself and just enjoying my golf."


3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


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