It’s golf as you’ve never seen it before as HSBC Women’s Champions 2016 swings into action
Singapore, 1st March 2016: Four of the world’s best golfers turned up the volume ahead of this week’s high voltage showdown in Singapore (March 3-6) by staging a one-off performance as a star-studded golfing super group.
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko (1), South Korea’s Inbee Park (2) and US star Lexi Thompson (3) were joined by China’s Shanshan Feng (9) for a rocking work-out ahead of the $1.5 million tournament at stunning Sentosa Golf Club.
World No 1 Ko took the mic on lead singer duties, defending champion Park played keyboard, with Thompson on bass guitar and Feng on drums. The fab four performed on a stage specially-built on the stunning Sentosa golf course with the stunning Singapore skyline in the background. And, fittingly, as the quartet prepare to battle it out for the iconic trophy, they played along to Take That’s 2007 comeback anthem ‘Rule The World’ which the legendary British pop act will no doubt perform at their concert on Saturday evening. The performance kicked off a week of world class sport and entertainment on and off the course with sponsor HSBC and players hailing the event as “golf as you’ve never seen it before”.
Teenager Ko said: "It feels great to be the Number 1 in the golfing world but I’m not sure I’m quite ready for Number 1 in the charts just yet. Singapore is always a landmark date in the calendar and music is a real inspiration for me – it gets me started in the mornings and sets the tone for the day. I hope this year I can get this world class field dancing to my tune in what promises to be another memorable week.”
Defending champion Park is also up for the challenge: “It had to be ‘Rule the World’, didn’t it? I’ll be doing everything in my power to hold on to my title and this is a great way to kick off an important week for me. The stage is set and I’m ready to go.”
Twenty-one-year-old Thompson added: “I never thought I’d be appearing on the same bill as Take That! I love hip hop – Rihanna, Usher, Drake – but I also like pop too. It’s good to mix it up a bit and the same is true of golf, you need the right blend and the right play for the right occasion. It’s great fun to try something different but we will all be totally focused on the main event when it comes to Thursday.”
HSBC Global Head of Sponsorship and Events Giles Morgan added: “One of things you regularly hear from fans, players and officials is that they enjoy the ’Singapore Experience’ – not just the golf but the facilities, the city and the weather. As a sponsor, we love the Singapore Experience too and like to think that the entertainment off the course is as good as the entertainment on it. So, in addition to a star-studded field of the world’s finest golfers, we’ve also got one of the most celebrated pop acts on the planet and a leading celebrity chef Monica Galetti who has created an exclusive menu especially for the tournament. This is golf as you’ve never seen it before.
“Singapore is rightly renowned as a sport and entertainment hub but we believe that this year’s line-up on and off the course is the best we’ve ever assembled. Of course, at the heart of the week is a world class golf tournament but if we are to achieve our ambition to open up the world of golf, it’s vital that we attract new, younger audiences to the sport. With world class music and food on the menu, we believe we’ve got a great recipe for a wonderful week of sport and entertainment.”
Widely recognized as the best women’s golf event staged by the LPGA in Asia and one of the best anywhere in the world, the tournament continues to build on its reputation as ‘Asia’s Major’ with only the leading players from all corners of the world invited to compete in the 63 elite player field.
The field this year sees 18 of the world’s top 20 players line up, including the top ten ranked golfers in the world according to the latest Rolex Rankings.
For more information on the HSBC Women’s Champions 2016, please visit the tournament website at http://www.hsbcgolf.com/womens.
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