Golf: Singapore to host Women's Champions tournament
31/08/2007 |
 |
 |
Singapore will host the inaugural $2 million (994,368 pounds) Women's Champions tournament early next year, organisers announced on Thursday.
The LPGA sanctioned event, modelled on the men's Champions tournament played in Shanghai since 2005 and which has come to be known as "Asia's Major", will feature the top women players from around the world including Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa and Pak Se-ri.
Hosted at Singapore's Tanah Merah Country Club, the February 28-March 2 Women's Champions tournament will be played under a strokeplay format with no cut.
"(The tournament) marks the first time that 78 of the best women professionals will play together in Asia," Chris Higgs, LPGA senior vice president, told a news conference on Thursday.
Asia was a cornerstone of the LPGA's long-term strategy and the champion of champions format gave people the opportunity to see the "who's who of women's golf globally", he added.
Organisers said the strength of the competition lay in the fact the field would be made up of recent tournament winners and money earners over the past year.
In addition to winners on the LPGA Tour this year, champions of events in Japan and South Korea as well as the leading money winners in Europe and Australia will qualify.
Hall of Famer Pak, a five-times Major winner, said she hoped to continue South Korea's success in the Champions tournament.
"When my countryman Yang Yong-eun won the men's Champions event, the newspapers called it Asia's Major so this would be a fantastic title for me to win," she said in a statement.
"The new location and qualifying criteria will make it a very exciting week."
(Source: Reuters)
|
| Back |
|
|
|
|
 |
