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Europe's top female golfer, Gwladys Nocera, is the second big name player to enter next month's inaugural New Zealand women's open in Christchurch.
Nocera, who won the Ladies European Tour's (LET) order of merit this year, follows Australian world No 30 Katherine Hull in confirming her presence in Christchurch on January 30 to February 1.
The Frenchwoman, who won close to $1 million on the back of five wins on the LET this year, is a further major boost for the Open.
"This is further fantastic news for the New Zealand Women's Open," New Zealand Golf chief executive Bill MacGowan said yesterday.
"To attract someone of Gwladys' stature is just great. It is wonderful news for our players, professional and amateur, to have the chance to play in the same event as the likes of Gwladys and Katherine Hull, and it is a superb opportunity for golf fans to see one of the world's best in action right here on our doorstep."
Nocera said she was looking forward to her first trip to New Zealand. "I am really excited about that. It's a country that I have always wanted to visit.
"For the last five or six years we have heard about attempts to get a Women's Open off the ground in New Zealand so I am delighted that it has come about and I am happy to come."
Nocera, 33, has been a professional for only six years but over the past three she has finished in the top three on the LET's moneylist.
She enjoyed a stunning 2008 season, with five wins and 12 top-10 finishes, bringing
her to 10 career wins in six years.
- NZPA
