Jean aiming to qualify for fifth LPGA Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Jean Chua (pic) will be bidding for a fifth appearance in the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia when she tees off in the two-day qualifying tournament at the TPC Kuala Lumpur today.

The 28-year-old, who plies her trade on the second-tier Symetra Tour in the United States, will compete against 24 other golfers - including 11 foreigners from Japan, South Korea and Singapore – in the 36-hole qualifier.

Three spots are up for grabs with two allotted to the local golfers.

As one of the most experienced players, Jean is one of the favourites to join compatriots Kelly Tan, Michelle Koh and Ainil Johani Bakar in the tournament proper.

But Jean believes it will not be a walk in the park. She has singled out Nur Durriyah Damian, who won the Malaysian Ladies Amateur Open last month, and veteran Cindy Lee-Pridgen as the ones to beat.

“I think the field is pretty good. We have a lot of good players here trying to get a spot. Nobody can say they are automatically in,” said Jean, who played in the LPGA Malaysia in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014.

Aretha Pan is the other Malaysian to watch. The 22-year-old played well to make the cut in all her four starts on the China LPGA Tour, amassing 93,458 yuan (RM56,600) to be placed 14th on the Order of Merit.

“My confidence has gone up a lot as I’ve been playing well this season. I’m looking forward to the qualifier after missing out on last year’s edition,” said Aretha, who has never missed the LPGA Malaysia since its inception in 2010.

The LPGA Malaysia organisers have also reserved two spots for the nation’s top two national Under-17 players. Five players – Ashley Lau, Winnie Ng, Natasha Andrea Oon, Liyana Durisic and Geraldine Wong – are the contenders.