Quintet of Major Champions Eye HSBC Women’s World Championship Title

All five current major champions have confirmed their attendance at ‘Asia’s Major’

SINGAPORE, 15 January 2018 – South Koreans So Yeon Ryu and Sung Hyun Park will headline the field at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, formerly the HSBC Women’s Champions, as Asia’s flagship event returns to the New Tanjong Course at Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore from 1-­‐4 March 2018.

SINGAPORE - MARCH 03: Sung Hyun Park of Korea on the 2nd tee during the second round of the HSBC Women's Champions on the Tanjong course at Sentosa Golf Club on March 3, 2017 in Singapore. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

The Korean duo will spearhead a star‐studded line-­‐up, which, in a field fitting of the event’s elevated status as a world championship, will feature all five reigning major champions.

The pair, who shared the Player of the Year honours at the end of last season, will be joined by 2017 Ricoh Women’s British Open Champion In­‐Kyung Kim in what looks set to be a vastly talented Korean contingent, with reigning champion and Olympic Gold Medallist Inbee Park having already confirmed  her  title defence.

[caption id="attachment_46" align="aligncenter" width="600"] DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 09: In-Kyung Kim of South Korea plays her second shot on the par 4, first hole during the final round of the 2017 Dubai Ladies Classic on the Majlis Course at The Emirates Golf Club, on December 9, 2017 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)[/caption]

The 2017 KPMG Women's PGA Champion Danielle Kang and Evian Champion Anna Nordqvist have also confirmed their attendance, as the world’s best return to the prestigious venue to fight it out for a share of the US$ 1.5 million purse.

Sung Hyun Park will be hoping to build on a 3rd place finish at the tournament last season, one in a series of sensational results for the 24-­‐year-­‐old in 2017, which also included a breakthrough major victory at the US Women’s Open.

In a season where parity reigned on the LPGA Tour, Park would emerge as the game’s latest superstar, becoming the first player in history to climb to the World No. 1 spot during her rookie year on the LPGA Tour.

Fan favourite and ANA Inspiration Champion So Yeon Ryu will also return to the New Tanjong Course, looking to make it a hat‐trick of wins for Korea at ‘Asia’s Major’, following victories for Ha Na Jang in 2016, and Inbee Park in 2017.

Ryu said: ‘’I’m very excited to make my return to Singapore for the HSBC Women’s World Championship. The event always draws one of the strongest fields of the season, so it’s a tournament everybody wants to play well in. I finished in the top ten last year so will be looking for another strong result this time around.’’

Ryu’s compatriot In-­‐Kyung Kim will be in search of her first win since vanquishing her major demons with a dominant victory at the Ricoh Women’s British Open last August, one of three wins for the    World No. 6 in  2017.

SINGAPORE - MARCH 05: So Yeon Ryu of South Korea hits her second shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the HSBC Women's Champions on the Tanjong Course at Sentosa Golf Club on March 5, 2017 in Singapore. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

She will be joined in the field by Danielle Kang, who after one of the most glittering amateur careers in the modern era would enjoy her breakthrough season in 2017, claiming her first LPGA victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Kang would also make a fearless rookie appearance at the Solheim Cup, amping up the crowd on the first tee as she played a vital role in helping Team USA retain the trophy at Des Moines Golf and Country Club.

Kang commented: ”Last year was a brilliant year for me so I can’t wait to get back on the course to see what 2018 brings. The HSBC Women’s World Championship always stands out as one the highlights of the year, both on and off the course, so it’s definitely an event I’m targeting.”

Rounding out the quintet of major champions is Swedish Solheim Cup star Anna Nordqvist, who would defy awful conditions to claim her second major victory at the Evian Championship last September.

SINGAPORE - MARCH 02: Anna Nordqvist of Sweden hits her tee shot on the 17th hole during the first round of the HSBC Women's Champions on the Tanjong Course at Sentosa Golf Club on March 2, 2017 in Singapore. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Matching the all-­star cast will be four days of unmissable entertainment off the course, with the festival concept again underpinning the tournament’s reputation as one of the most fun events on the LPGA schedule. The popular Saturday night concert will again return, alongside an array of activities at the venue itself guaranteed to keep all the family entertained.

With the inaugural Women’s Amateur Asia-­Pacific golf championship, a new R&A and Asia-­‐Pacific Golf Confederation event planned to take place at the venue in the week preceding the tournament,   golf fans are set for an unmissable two weeks of action at Sentosa Golf Club.

Early bird tickets for the HSBC Women’s World Championship 2018 are on sale for the month of January athttps://www.hsbcgolf.com/womens. Single day tickets to the golf for Thursday (1 March) and Friday (2 March) are S$22 per day, while access to the tournament weekend, Saturday (3 March) and Sunday (4 March) cost S$33 per day. A 10% discount on General Admission Concert tickets will apply with the purchase of a Golf Season pass (access to all four days of HSBC Women’s World Championship 2018), which is priced at SGD$88.

For more information on the HSBC Women’s World Championship 2018, visit the tournament website at https://www.hsbcgolf.com/womens