major winners Patty Tabatanakit will compete at the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open (HFGSWO) from March 7-10 with defending champion Park Ji-young and 2023 Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) top prize money leader Lee. The organizers announced on Wednesday (February 21st) that he will be the headliner along with Yewon. ).
Some of South Korea’s top female golfers are also set to appear on the Tampines course at Tanah Merah Country Club, along with a number of players from Australia, New Zealand, China and Japan. Malaysian Ashley Lau, who recently won her first professional title by overwhelming former world No. 1 Shin Jiyai at the 2024 Big Open, will also compete against rising Thai stars Jalavi Boonchant and Natakritta Vontaverap. He will participate in Singapore with his friends.
Singapore’s top pros Amanda Tan and Ko Sock Wee previously announced their participation in the National Open, along with the country’s elite amateur players Aloysa Atienza, Jamie Ng, Chen Xing Tong and Jillian Kuk. Ta.
Patty, the 2021 LPGA Rookie of the Year, is riding high on momentum to claim her first KLPGA Tour title in Singapore after a dominant performance at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International on February 18th. I’m thinking of acquiring it. Her win at Riyadh Golf “Club” was her first title on the European Women’s Tour and her first since winning the 2021 ANA Inspiration in her breakout rookie year on the Women’s Professional Golf Association. It was a victory.
She said: “I am very excited to be competing in the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open for the first time. I have fond memories of competing in Singapore, so I would like to hopefully win my first championship and create even better memories. It is because of sponsors like Hana Financial Group that I am able to pursue my passion and play golf professionally and I am very grateful for the support they have given me. Aramco Saudi Ladies International It was an emotional moment when we won. It’s been a while since I’ve played this well and I’ve worked hard to get to this point and overcome it. I’ve worked a lot over the past few years. I’ve learned and grown, and I’m looking forward to bringing that energy and mindset back to Singapore. It’s going to be a tough three weeks, but I’m looking forward to it. I hope we can carry this momentum into the rest of the season. I just have to recover properly and enjoy the game.”
Meanwhile, Park, who is ranked 56th in the world, hopes to start the year on a high note once again by winning his eighth KLPGA title. At the first HFGSWO in December 2022, which also served as her Tour season opener, she scored her fifth KLPGA Tour win despite the third and final round being canceled due to heavy rain.
Her stellar performance over the first 36 holes saw her post rounds of 66 and 67 to reach 11-under 133, narrowly beating out the trio of Hong Jeong-min, Lee So-young and Park Hyun to secure the victory. Kyon with just one shot.
The win set the stage for Park’s impressive second half of the season, with two more wins at the EverCollagen The Siena Queen’s Crown and the KB Financial Group Star Championship.
“HFGSWO will be my first title defense in 2024, so I’m a little nervous and looking forward to it, but I’m going to prepare hard and do my best,” he said. To be honest, I don’t feel much pressure. I want to show my best performance again like last time. I remember how good my iron shots and putts were last year, so I’m trying to remember that feeling this year. Winning the 2022 tournament was a special moment for me and gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season. We hope to be able to repeat that success this time as well. ”
Park is acutely aware of the formidable challenge posed by his rivals as he looks to defend his title, and is poised to bring his A-game to the new season, when 16 of last season’s top 20 players in the points standings are away from home. ing.
In addition to Patty and reigning KLPGA Player of the Year Lee, Park will also have to contend with strong opponents such as 2023 KLPGA Rookie of the Year Kim Min-byul and 2022 KLPGA Player of the Year Park Min-ji.
World No. 32 Lee is determined to continue his excellent performances from an unusual 2023 season in which he secured three championships and four runners-up finishes. Additionally, she boasted an impressive record of 14 top-10 finishes out of the 29 tournaments she participated in.
Having proven his ability on home soil, Lee is determined to make his mark with his first overseas victory. “When I competed in the HFGSWO in 2022, I felt like this course suited me, so I’m looking forward to competing again. It was difficult to read the greens because I wasn’t used to the slopes and undulations of the greens. However, I think I will be able to play more aggressively this year by making use of my experience in 2022. I also had some delicious food and it was a great memory. I would like to go to Singapore and try it again. I can’t name names, but I really liked the food here. Last season was exceptional. I’m still proud of it and I’m happy that it continues to grow. This year too. I hope it’s a great year. My goal is to play consistently throughout the year and have the most wins at the end of the year.”
The 1 billion won (S$1.1 million) HFGSWO is jointly sanctioned by the Singapore Golf Association (SGA) and the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) and will be part of the Women’s Asian Tour Series.
Tickets for HFGSWO will be available soon on Ticketmaster. Event updates can be found at https://swo.sga.org.sg and on Facebook and Instagram.