SINGAPORE – After two years without spectators, Sentosa Golf Club will welcome fans back for the HSBC Women’s World Championship when it tees off on Thursday.
But fans could return to a very different Tanjong Course as Singapore has experienced heavy rainfall this week, with thunderstorms expected over the next four days, according to the National Environment Agency website.
Wet weather led to the cancellation of Wednesday morning’s pro-am event. In a statement just before 8am, the organisers said about 20cm of rain had fallen on the golf course overnight, forcing them to make “the necessary decision”.
However, tournament director Becky Harding is confident that the event, which runs till Sunday, will commence as scheduled, saying: “The course has excellent drainage – the LPGA said it is amongst the best they have seen.”
She added that they do not foresee any course issues on Thursday.
Despite the rainy start on Wednesday, players were out on the driving range and putting green by noon, but the course was kept closed to “ensure its condition” for Thursday. The organisers also moved up the tee times for the first round by an hour after consulting the on-site weather expert.
The Tanjong Course is a challenging set-up, even though the average winning score since 2017 is 17 under. With rain making the course longer, it will be tougher. Six of the 10 par-fours are over 390 yards and five of those were among the top-10 hardest holes at the 2022 edition.
The layout is tricky too. In recent years, over 150 trees have been added and there are 54 bunkers throughout. Furthermore, 12 of the 18 holes have areas where water comes into play.
No wonder each of the five past winners on the course are also Major champions. Golfers here for the US$1.7 million (S$2.28 million) tournament are not expecting things to be easy.
Canada’s two-time Major winner Brooke Henderson said: “Yeah, definitely it’s a lot softer. If you’re going to be playing aggressively, you can chase after a lot more pins... which I think is good.
“It will probably result in a lot more birdies being made and possibly some lower scores. But also, I think it could be a very long week if there’s lots of delays, so just trying to stay patient.”
Defending champion Ko Jin-young, who played nine holes on Monday, is not expecting things to be the same as a year ago.
The South Korean world No. 5 said: “The fairways are really wet and the greens are too. It’s going to be different from last year, but the whole shape, the greens, everything is perfect, like last year.”
Her compatriot Kim Hyo-joo, who won the 2021 edition, foresees having to keep her body active in the event that play is suspended.
The world No. 9 said: “All players already know the situation, and the key is to control your body’s condition well so that your muscles do not get stiff. In my case, when I rest inside, I stretch before I go out. Also, I try to move my body as much as possible.”
While the conditions may be similar to that of south Florida where world No. 2 Nelly Korda hails from, she does not feel like she has an edge in this weather.
She said: “At the end of the day everyone’s playing in the same weather. Everyone’s going through the same circumstances, and whoever plays the best wins.”
Tee Times
1st Round (Selected)
1st Hole
7.25am Lee6 Jeong-eun (Kor)
7.49am Jessica Korda, Ashleigh Buhai (Rsa)
8.13am Stacy Lewis
8.25am Danielle Kang, Celine Boutier (Fra)
8.37am Yuka Saso (Jpn), Patty Tavatanakit (Tha)
8.49am Jennifer Kupcho, Leona Maguire (Ire)
9.01am Kim Hyo-joo (Kor), Chun In-gee (Kor)
9.13am Atthaya Thitikul (Tha), Ko Jin-young (Kor), Brooke Henderson (Can)
9.25am Lydia Ko (Nzl), Minjee Lee (Aus), Nelly Korda
10th Hole
7.42am Kim Sei-young (Kor)
7.54am Amanda Tan (Sgp)
8.06am Shi Yuting (Chn)
8.18am Moriya Jutanugarn (Tha), Anna Nordqvist (Swe)
8.30am Hannah Green (Aus), Lizette Salas
8.42am Carlota Ciganda (Esp)
9.06am Jenny Shin (Kor)
9.18am Hinako Shibuno (Jpn)
9.30am Ariya Jutanugarn (Tha)
*USA unless stated
