ALL eyes will be on Asian women when the Sime Darby LPGA event tees-off at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country today.
Seventy-two players, which features 49 of the top 50 players, will be competing at the US$1.9 million event which offers the winner a whopping US$285,000 prize.
Rolex Rankings No 4 and defending champion Na Yeon Choi will lead the cast as she returns to KLGCC to defend her title after an outstanding finish in 2011.
Then, she shot a final-round 68 and held off a Sunday charge from Yani Tseng to capture her fifth-career LPGA victory. Choi has recorded five top-10 finishes in the 2012 season along with a victory at the US Women’s Open to indicate her form.
"After I won the US Open, I had some pressure from my own expectations, and also my fans. They expect me to play well like in the US Open all the time. But then, I just go out and have fun and hopefully the scores would be low at the KLGCC," said Choi.
The other Asian to look out for is Yani Tseng, the No 3 in the world: "I always look forward to playing in Asian tournaments because it's kind of my hometown, my hometown of Taiwan.
"It is always noce as I have my following in Asia and it's always fun to play in front of a supportive the crowd.
"I have a good memory at the KLGCC lasy year, too, as I was in a title fight right til the end. I didn't play well the first couple of days, but I finished well in the end," said the runners-up.
But the two Asians will have to bring out their best for all four-days, as coming off her fourth-career victory at the Navistar LPGA Classic is world No 2 Stacy Lewis from the United States who is looking to continue her dominant 2012 season.
Lewis, a three-time winner already this year, holds a commanding lead in the Rolex Player of the Year race with 184 points, 56 points ahead of South Korean Jiyai Shin. She also leads the Tour in top-10 finishes, tallying 14 top-10s in the 20 events she has competed in this year.
However, it would be difficult to predict a winner as the tournament has a stellar cast and will see all four of the year’s major winners battle at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
The quartet of Yoo Sun Young (Kraft Nabisco Cham pionship), Feng (LPGA Championship), Choi (US Open) and Shin Jiyai (British Open) are part of the 72-woman field, which comprises the top-62 players on the LPGA Tour and 10 sponsors invites.
The Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia is the first of four consecutive events for the LPGA Tour in Asia, followed by the LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship in South Korea, the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship and the Mizuno Classic in Japan.
