SINGAPORE – Two of the Republic’s top golf professionals, Amanda Tan and Koh Sock Hwee, will be vying for local honours with elite amateurs Aloysa Atienza, Jaymie Ng, Chen Xingtong and Jillian Kuk at the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open from March 7 to 10.
They will be contesting the national open at the Tanah Merah Country Club’s Tampines Course, organisers announced in a press statement on Feb 16.
Besides the Singaporean talent on show, fans can also look forward to watching at least 108 golfers in action, with top names from countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and South Korea expected to take part.
A full list of players will be announced later.
The one billion won (S$1 million) tournament is jointly sanctioned by the Singapore Golf Association and Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) and is part of the Ladies Asian Tour Series.
It held its inaugural edition in 2022, when South Korea’s Park Ji-young won the 54-hole competition, with the final round cancelled due to inclement weather at Tanah Merah Country Club.
The 2024 tournament will be increased to four rounds and 72 holes.
Koh, who made the cut en route to finishing tied-28th in 2022, is delighted to compete in the tournament again.
The 34-year-old said: “I’ve played in many places, but competing on home soil always hits different because it’s in a place you’re familiar with and you’re surrounded by fellow Singaporeans and that always manages to put me at ease.
“The first Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open was a great experience for me and I’m hoping to improve on my result from the previous tournament.”
Tan, who made history in 2023 by becoming the first Singaporean to compete on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Epson Tour, is looking forward to the event as she does not get to play in Singapore very often.
The 24-year-old said: “Being able to compete against the top players in the KLPGA will be another good opportunity to further test myself and keep improving, so I plan to make the most of it and do my best at the tournament.”
Xingtong, 15, is looking forward to back-to-back weeks of top golfing action on home soil.
The teenager had won the national qualifier for the US$1.8 million (S$2.4 million) HSBC Women’s World Championship, which will see the best players from the LPGA Tour converging at the Sentosa Golf Club from Feb 29 to March 3.
She said: “I’m very excited to be competing in my first national open.
“It means a lot that it’s taking place at home where our friends and family can come and watch us in person.
“I still have a long way to go in the sport and being able to play in as many tournaments as possible against the top professionals will teach me a lot about playing styles and how to cope with the pressure we face in sport.”
The Republic will also host high-profile men’s events this season, with the DP World Tour’s Porsche Singapore Classic taking place at Laguna National Golf Resort Club from March 21 to 24 and the LIV Golf Singapore event at Sentosa from May 3 to 5.
