WHEN Karen Stupples tees off in the first round of the Ladies English Open at Chart Hills GC on Thursday it will mark the end of her longest break from competitive golf since she first took up the game as a youngster.

Plenty of water has passed under the Swilken Bridge since the Deal professional got the "golfing bug" while caddying for her father Alan at Prince's GC as a 12-year-old, most notably her victory in the 2004 Women's British Open.

Stupples said: "I'm really excited about playing on tour again. When I was pregnant I didn't miss playing the tour, in fact I didn't even miss playing golf.

"But two weeks after Logan (her baby boy) was born I started to get itchy fingers."

Stupples' last appearance on the LPGA Tour was in November when she finished joint 11th in the LPGA Tournament of Champions in Mobile, Alabama.

And she believes that the Chart Hills course is the "perfect place" for her to make her comeback.

She said: "I know the course well so I won't have to play many practice rounds.

"The long break from playing has meant that I have been able to stand back and take a really detached view of my game and I'm sure it's done me good."

As for her chances at Chart Hills, she said: "I want to go into the tournament with no expectations.

"In an ideal world I would have another couple of weeks to get ready, but it will be a good chance to see where my game is and what things I have to work on."