Golf: $1.1 million S’pore Women’s Open to take place at Tanah Merah Country Club in December

SINGAPORE – After a two-year wait, the inaugural Singapore Women’s Open (SWO) will make its debut at the Tanah Merah Country Club from Dec 9-11, organisers said on Thursday.

With a prize purse of $1.1 million, it will be the most lucrative women’s golf tournament in the country after the US$1.7 million (S$2.4 million) HSBC Women’s World Championship, which is limited mainly to the top 20 in the world rankings and LPGA Tour winners plus others like sponsor invites.

The SWO, with Hana Financial Group as its title sponsor, had been slated to take place in 2020 but was postponed owing to the pandemic. The tournament is co-sanctioned by the Singapore Golf Association (SGA) and the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) and is a part of the Ladies Asian Tour (LAT) Series, a women’s professional golf tour for those in the region.

The event at TMCC’s Tampines Course will feature a field of 102 players comprising KLPGA members, invitees from 12 Asia-Pacific countries, as well as major prospects and amateurs.

Singapore’s leading professionals Koh Sock Hwee and Amanda Tan are among those competing alongside amateurs Shannon Tan, Aloysa Atienza and Jaymie Ng.

Amanda is looking forward to playing with the top golfers, saying: “It is a great opportunity for players (professional and amateur) to be able to compete against some really good Koreans and overseas pros. It’s also good for the younger generation of golfers who are looking to turn pro one day to watch and learn from these great professional golfers.”

SGA president Tan Chong Huat said: “It has been a long two-year wait; we are so glad the tournament will finally take place in December. Working hand in hand with all the stakeholders, we are fully committed to getting the event off to a great start and setting the foundation for all the future editions.”

TMCC president Ronald Ong is looking forward to welcoming some of the best women golfers to the club, which has hosted events such as the HSBC Women’s Champions, now renamed HSBC Women’s World Championship, Kosaido Asahi Ladies Championship, Lexus Cup and Queen Sirikit Cup.

He added: “Tanah Merah Country Club is pleased to continue this tradition with the very first Singapore Women’s Open. I am sure we will see some terrific action over the three days.”

Meanwhile, on Thursday at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship in Pattaya, Singapore’s SEA Games silver medallist Atienza and 14-year-old Chen Xingtong both recorded one-under 71s, leaving them tied 17th after the first round. Compatriots Ng and Hailey Loh opened with even-par rounds of 72 and are tied for 30th position. Malaysian Liyana Durisic (66) is the sole leader.