Mary McKenna, the newly-crowned Irish Women's Seniors champion, will be among 87 competitors from 12 countries challenging for the Senior Women's British Open Amateur title at Aberdovey, Wales, starting this morning.

The field, aged 50 or over, is headed by Denmark's Birthe Morgensen, the winner at West Kilbride last year.

It is the first time an LGU event has been staged at Aberdovey, where McKenna will be joined by compatriot Valerie Hassett, who gained the distinction of winning this title in 1996 at another Welsh venue, Pyle and Kenfig, and was runner-up in the three succeeding years.

McKenna, who birdied the last hole to win the Irish Senior Women's Open at Baltray last week, is a former British champion, having captured the strokeplay title at Moseley in 1979.

Bridget Jackson, a past president of the LGU and another former Curtis Cup player, is also in the field.

The 54-hole event will have a cut-off tomorrow evening when the leading 50 will go through to the final round on Thursday.

Germany's Tina Fischer carded a two-under-par 70 and held on for her first LPGA Tour victory, a one-stroke triumph at the inaugural Asahi Ryokuken International Championship.

Fischer, a five-time national champion and 10-time amateur champion in her homeland, is the first German to win an LPGA event.

She passed a faltering Tracy Hanson on the back nine and won the rain-shortened event with a 54-hole total of 10-under 206.

In her first 19 events this season Fischer missed the cut 10 times and cracked the top 10 just once.