Michelle Wie of HawaiiBy Jugjet Singh
jugjet@nst.com.my
THE Sime Darby Ladies Professional Golf Association tournament which tees of on Friday will see five players in position to grap the No 1 spot at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
And while four of them are ladies who just want to have fun in the sun, Jiyai Shin of South Korea is looking to burn calories and lose weight under the blazing Malaysian sun.
She shocked, and then amused the gallery yesterday when asked what she wants to gain from the inaugural tournament in Malaysia.
"First of all, it is amazing that for the first time in the LPGA history five players are in the running for the No 1 spot and they could achieve it in Malaysia. And while it will be nice to win, I am just looking forward to lose some weight under the blazing Malaysian sun," said the 22-year-old Korean.
The other players who could claim glory and the No 1 spot in Malaysia are Cristie Kerr of the United States, Ai Miyazato of Japan, Na Yeon Choi of South Korea and Michelle Wie of Hawaii.
Ai Miyazato, Cristie Kerr, Shin Jiyai, Suzann Pettersen and Yani Tseng are currently ranked first to fifth.
Jiyai Shin, a little portly as compared to the other cast in the star-studded tournament, turned pro in 2005 but already has a string of accolades to her name.
From 2006 to 2010 she showed consistency by making the cut for every tournament she competed in, except for one.
Having won the Evian Masters this year, her stellar flight currently ranlks her second in the world based on the Rolex Rankings.
Michelle Wie, a natural crowd puller, summed up what the other four want from the inaugural tournament.
"I believe most of us are here to enjoy the tournament and try and hit some low scores. I have played a training round at the course and it is superbly built and should challenge us to the maximum. The key here is for me to enjoy as much as possible, the course and the superb hospitality," said Michelle.
The three-day tournament will not have a cut-off, and all 60 golfers will play 54 holes.
