Inaugural Singapore ladies’ Open lauded

THE introduction of the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open has been lauded as an “important and positive development” for women’s golf.

This was the view expressed by Koh Sock Hwee and Aloysa Atienza, who said that the ladies’ tournament at the Tanah Merah Country Club from Dec 9 to 11, would go a long way towards helping with the development of the game in Singapore.

Koh, the highest-ranked Singaporean in the Women’s World Golf Rankings, is looking forward to teeing off in her first-ever national Open.

“It’s definitely an honour to play in our very own national women’s open because I believe it’s the first time we’ve ever had one. It will definitely open the doors to more young female golfers picking up the sport because they now have a goal to work towards, to play in their own national open,” said Koh.

On her goals for the event, which will also serve as the curtain-raiser of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour’s 2023 season, Koh said: “Being a KLPGA event, it is going to be a strong field and I can’t wait to test my skills among them.

“The most immediate goal would be to make the cut and then get my best-ever finish at a KLPGA event.”

Atienza, 24, the reigning Southeast Asian Games individual silver medallist, has also welcomed the timely staging of the national women’s Open.

“The last few years, we’ve had an LPGA Tour event here, and there are always a lot of junior girls coming down to watch the players. Having the Singapore Women’s Open gives these girls another event to watch and be inspired by, rather than just watching them on TV,” said Atienza.

Tan Chong Huat, president of the Singapore Golf Association, has called on the local players to capitalise on the opportunity to showcase their talent at the S$1.1mil (Rm3.6mil) tournament.

“More importantly, they will gain tremendous experience from competing at a major event with the best players in the world.”