A three-week Florida kick-off, followed by a three-week hiatus, ushers in the second stretch of the LPGA Tour’s season. This week, Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore welcomes the return of the HSBC Women’s World Championship for an event that is widely regarded as ‘Asia’s Major.’
And like the five major championships that dot the LPGA Tour schedule, the annual trip to Singapore has come to attract the biggest names in the women’s game. In 2008, Lorena Ochoa became the inaugural champion, followed by the likes of former world No. 1 Jiyai Shin, World Golf Hall of Famer Karrie Webb and LPGA Tour Hall of Famer Inbee Park.
Hyo Joo Kim added her name to the list of illustrious champions in Singapore when she won 12 months ago. Last season, a bogey-free, final round 64 saw Kim come from five strokes back on Sunday to win for the first time in five years. It was a moment reminiscent of the record-setting 61 that Kim carded in her major championship debut in 2014.
The final round magic Kim conjured on Sunday saw her finish one stroke clear of Hannah Green, who makes her LPGA Tour season debut on Thursday. The Aussie is currently the hottest player in the women’s game as she arrives in Singapore fresh off back-to-back victories in Australia.
Jin Young Ko, the top-ranked player in the world, makes her season debut in Singapore. Ko chose to skip the first three events of the season in favor of a more prolonged off-season and the break was a much needed one for the Korean who dealt with a challenging year in 2021. For half of last season, Ko fought through the pain of a nagging wrist injury. She also dealt with heartache. In March 2021, Ko’s beloved grandmother, who closely followed her granddaughter’s success, passed away. Due to travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic, Ko was unable to make the trip home to Korea from the United States to say goodbye, in person, to her grandmother. But Ko fought through the heartbreak and the pain. In 2021, she won five times in her last nine starts of the season and captured the Rolex Player of the Year award.
Ko is joined in Singapore by a number of other top-ranked players who will also begin their LPGA Tour season.
Sei Young Kim, who holds the 18-hole tournament scoring record in Singapore with a 10-under par, 62, makes her debut on Thursday. Last season, Kim went without a win on Tour for the first time since becoming a member in 2015 and will be looking to rediscover the spark that earned her a first major title in 2020 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Minjee Lee, who earned her maiden major title last season at the Amundi Evian Championship, will also make her LPGA Tour season debut on Thursday. In Singapore, rookie Hinako Shibuno will make her first start since becoming a member of the LPGA Tour. The winner of the 2019 AIG Women’s Open earned her Tour card via Q-Series and received a sponsor invite to compete this week.
Since its inception, the HSBC Women’s World Championship has attracted the top female golfers from around the world. And 2022 is no different. Come Thursday, 66 players will compete over 72 holes for the prestigious honor of not only winning the HSBC Women’s World Championship, but also the distinction of having captured ‘Asia’s Major.’
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