Ruling with an iron fist

In the pantheon of grand prix greats, one woman has ruled the circuit with an iron fist, her name is Karen Murphy.

With the fourth and final GP on Australian soil set to erupt at Taren Point next month, with entries closing for the 2009 Janome NSW Open on Friday, Murphy will partner teenage sensation Kristina Kristic in the women’s pairs as she looks to extend her incredible record on home soil.

Since the inaugural Bowls Australia grand prix in 2004, the legendary Cabramatta figure has contested more finals and won more titles than any other player, with daylight a close second.

During an incredible run, Murphy has won 11 titles from 15 finals, five clear of Australian teammate Sharyn Renshaw, who sits in second place with six victories of her own.

A pack of seven players with four titles apiece sit in equal third, but it’s the 34-year-old who continues to set the standard.

Since winning her maiden grand prix title alongside Lynsey Armitage in the women’s pairs at Moama in 2005, Murphy has gone on to clinch three singles, pairs and triples trophies, as well as two fours crowns to stamp herself as the player of her generation.

Having missed the BCiB Queensland Open in July due to national duties, Murphy will be back at Taren Point next month chasing further glory in the pairs and fours, as well as another slice of history.

While Murphy holds a vice-like grip on almost every record on the GP circuit, Renshaw’s four titles in 2007 are the most by any woman in any one calendar year, across all four disciplines no less, with the NSW dynamo falling one shy of matching that feat last year.

However, after successfully defending her Australian Indoor crown in April, two months after winning the Australian Open pairs and triples, Murphy can draw level with Renshaw’s record if she prevails in any discipline at Taren Point.

Click here for more information on the 2009 Janome NSW Open.

Since the Bowls Australia grand prix circuit’s inception more than five years ago, some of the game’s finest players have prevailed including:

• 95 women have contested one or more GP final
• 57 women boast one or more title, with 18 multiple winners
• Winners have come from six nations and just as many states, but no one from the NT or ACT has prevailed
• Six women have contested multiple finals without winning a title
• The Gold Coast’s Georgia White is the youngest ever winner after capturing the women’s pairs alongside Carmen Anderson at Helensvale in 2005 as a 15-year-old
• 21 singles, 13 pairs and triples and five fours titles have been up for grabs since the inaugural South Australian GP in 2004
• The Australian Indoor Championships officially became a grand prix in 2005, with Murphy contesting four of the five finals for three wins.
• The 2009 Janome NSW Open will be just the second grand prix that does not feature singles, with the Moama GP in 2005 the only other tournament.