Sweeter swing leaves Rogers upbeat

Aideen Rogers, Ireland's only full-time women's tournament professional, faces the Italian Open starting in Florence tomorrow…

Aideen Rogers, Ireland's only full-time women's tournament professional, faces the Italian Open starting in Florence tomorrow with renewed confidence. Her optimism is sparked by two key elements in this, her seventh season on tour.

"It is the first time in two seasons that I have felt really comfortable with my swing," she said yesterday. "And the £20,000 grant I received from Team Ireland Golf Trust has been a lifesaver."

A three-year sponsorship deal signed by the Ladies European Tour with Evian earlier this month means that competitors are now playing for £3.56 million in 16 ranking events across 11 countries. These include the Irish Women's Open which is scheduled for Faithlegg GC on June 8th to 11th.

Rogers claims to have solved her swing problems by taking a video of herself, identifying the flaw and then sorting it out on the practice ground. "It happened during the Australian Tour earlier this year and I am now hitting the ball better than I've done for almost three seasons," she said.

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Though she has yet to win a tournament, she proved she could compete with the best by finishing fourth behind Sofie Gustafson in the Irish Women's Open at Ballyliffin 20 months ago. The merit of that performance was enhanced by the Swede's recent breakthrough victory on the LPGA Tour in the US.

The 27-year-old from Malahide was twice Irish Girls champion, in 1989 and 1991, and was runner-up to Eavan Higgins in the Irish Close of 1993. Since turning professional in 1994, she has twice had to return to the tour school but regained her card each time. This week's event is the start of the European section of the tour schedule - the Australian Open and Australian Masters took place in February. From Italy, Rogers will head to the German Open in Hanover and from there to the Swedish Open. She then returns home for the Irish Open.

"I plan to play the full schedule of events this season," she said. "The breakthrough hasn't happened for me yet, but I know I have the ability. In the past, I often put a brave face on things when my confidence was at a low ebb. But this time I feel really good about my chances."

Strabane's Lynn McCool will be joining Rogers in Florence and former Irish Close champion Barbara Hackett, who has also been grant-aided by the trust, is expected to return to tour action when she fully recovers from recent back surgery.

Padraig Harrington's disqualification from the Benson and Hedges International Open on Sunday for failing to sign his first-round scorecard has benefited the Golf Foundation, the body which introduces youngsters to the game. Club manufacturers Wilson, who sponsor Harrington, have decided to donate £2,700 - a slice of the bonus they would have paid Harrington if he had gone on to win. Harrington was five shots clear of the field after three rounds.