FIVE of the world’s top women golfers yesterday confirmed their spots in the US$ 2 million Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia which will tee-off on Oct 10-13 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC).
Americans Stacy Lewis and Paula Creamer, Na Yeon Choi from South Korea, Japan’s Ai Miyazato and Spaniard Beatriz Recari ranked 2, 11, 4, 13, 18 respectively are the latest draw-cards.
They will join defending champion and current world No 1 Inbee Park of South Korea in the stellar line-up for the East Course showdown.
LPGA Player of the Year, Stacy Lewis said, “I had a good start to the Tour in Asia this year and I’m looking forward to getting back and competing for the Sime Darby LPGA.
“It’s a great tournament played on one of the best courses in Asia. It is always tough here, but I’ll approach it the way I do all tournaments and will do my best to get my name on the top of the leader board.”
Na Yeon Choi, the 2011 champion, who came so close to retaining her title in 2012, promises another stellar show.
“The Sime Darby LPGA is certainly one of my favourite tournaments of the year. Winning in 2011 and coming runner up last year is a strong motivation for me to push even harder in 2013.
“ I know the course well and my strategy is always to put the fairway first because if I hit the fairway well, then it presents a lot of birdie opportunities. I always feel the pressure there, but I try to thrive off it.”
Another firm favourite with Malaysian fans is the ever- stylish Ai Miyazato.
“The event has a reputation as one of the most intense tournaments with an electrifying atmosphere. The course is a great one to play with quite a lot of risk – reward opportunities so I’m looking forward to getting back there to play it,” said Ai.
The 72-hole stroke play, no cut event is the first of four consecutive tournaments in an Asian swing. The field will be made up of 62 stars from the LPGA Tour and 10 sponsor invites – including four players from the local and regional qualifier events.
