A tour of Asia that began a month ago concludes this week with a visit to Japan.
The LPGA Tour has been hosting tournaments in the beautiful country for more than 40 years, and this week’s TOTO JAPAN CLASSIC will be the latest in a long line of popular and successful events in Japan. Mi Hyang Lee returns to Kintetsu Kashikojima Country Club as the defending champion and will be joined at the $1.5 million event by a strong field.
Lee defeated Ilhee Lee and JLPGA Tour member Kotono Kozuma on the fifth extra hole a year ago to become a Rolex First-Time Winner, and this week could prove to be a chance for another unheralded young star to make her mark. Two-time and reigning Rolex Player of the Year Stacy Lewis, who tied for second on Sunday in China, will be in Shima-She, Mie, Japan, along with LPGA stars like Michelle Wie, Lexi Thompson, Hall of Famer Karrie Webb, Paula Creamer and Yani Tseng to battle for the winner’s check.
In addition, 32 JLPGA Tour members are teeing it up this week, and they will have the thrill of testing themselves against the world’s best players in the 54-hole event. The tournament has all of the makings for a wide-open affair that could produce the next big star.
The Tour has been conducting the Toto Japan Classic since 1973, when American Jan Ferraris took the title. Webb (2006) is one of numerous Hall of Famers who have won the event – along with Donna Caponi (1976), Amy Alcott (1979), Patty Sheehan (1981, 1988), Nancy Lopez (1982), Pat Bradley (1983), Betsy King (1992-93) and Annika Sorenstam (2001-05) – in the past, and Lewis was the tournament’s champion in 2012.
Fans watching in person this week can also see past tournament champions Jiyai Shin (2008, 2010), Momoko Ueda (2007, 2011) and Teresa Lu (2013). There is no cut at this event, so all players will traverse the par-72, 6,506-yard course three times.
The TOTO JAPAN CLASSIC closes out the Tour’s five-week Asian swing that made its way from Malaysia to Korea, then on to Taiwan and China the past four weeks. Only the Lorena Ochoa Invitational Presented by Banamex, Nov. 12-15, in Mexico City, Mexico, and the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, Nov. 19-22, in Naples, Fla., remain after this week’s tilt, so every stroke is crucially important.
It’s been a long, but great 2015 season, and this week’s Japanese installment should be yet another memorable event for everyone involved.
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