Laguna National G&CC. Picture: lagunanational.com
The 42nd edition of the Queen Sirikit Cup, an amateur golf tournament that has unearthed many of the sport’s promising talents, will make its return to Singapore from May 24-27 at the Laguna National Golf and Country Club.
The tournament was originally supposed to be played in August last year but had to be postponed due to travel restrictions and quarantine protocols then.
With the easing of pandemic measures in the Lion City, organisers of the Queen Sirikit Cup are now looking forward to welcoming young golfers from 15 countries competing over 72 holes instead of the traditional 54 – a change that reflects the tournament’s evolution as the pre-eminent female team golf championship in the world.
In what will be one of the strongest fields ever assembled at the Queen Sirikit Cup, Japan will be fielding three players ranked inside the world top-50 including reigning Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship (WAAP) champion, Mizuki Hashimoto. The other two Japanese include Ayaka Tezuka and Miku Ueta.
Kelsey Bennett is one of the participants from Australia
An intriguing battle at Laguna National Golf and Country Club also awaits with the Australian challenge coming from Kelsey Bennett, Kirsten Rudgeley and Caitlin Peirce. South Korea, meanwhile, will be sending their Asian Games Team made up of the trio of Min byeol Kim, Jihyun Lee and Shinsil Bang.
Bang is the highest ranked amateur in the field. The 17-year-old South Korean, ranked 16th on World Amateur Golf Ranking, has seven top-10 finishes to date and finished tied-eighth at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur last month.
15-year-old Avani Prashanth from India along with 17-year-olds Chun-Wei Wu and Hsin-Chun Liao from Chinese Taipei are also expected to shine at the Laguna National Golf and Country Club.
Prashanth won the All India Women’s Amateur in 2021 and enjoyed a tied-16th finish at the WAAP (T16) and tied-21st result at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship.
Thailand’s Natthakritta Vongtaveelap is one of the favourites in the event
Wu, meanwhile, won the National Spring Tournament in Taiwan and also secured a tied-13th finish at WAAP. Liao has also impressed with her two top-10s in professional play last year.
The local challenge will be spearheaded by Shannon Tan, who turns 18 this year. Tan is part of the prestigious Texas Tech golf team in NCAA Division 1 in the USA and a back-to-back EFG Singapore Junior Masters champion. Yoko Tai, who finished tied-14th at WAAP last year, will also be amongst the strong field.
Singapore-based Philippine player Samantha Marie Dizon (Hcp +2.0) will also feel confident coming off her win at last year’s Singapore Junior Golf Championships and a Class A win at the EFG Singapore Junior Masters.
Much is also expected of Thailand’s Natthakritta Vongtaveelap. The 19-year-old, who started playing golf at the age of six, won the Thailand Ladies Amateur Open and SINGHA Thailand Amateur Open last year. She also finished tied-second at WAAP in 2021.
The Queen Sirikit Cup has a sterling reputation for being the platform that launched the careers of several international women golfers, including Australians Karrie Webb, Minjee Lee and Hannah Green, China’s Feng Shanshan, Chinese Taipei’s Tseng Ya-ni, Japan’s Ai Miyazato, Koreans Pak Se-ri, Ryu So-Yeon, Shin Ji-yae and Kim Hyo-Joo, New Zealander Lydia Ko and Thai Patty Tavatanakit, among others.
Rae-Vadee T. Suwan, secretary-general of the Queen Sirikit Cup, said: “We are delighted aspiring golfers from the region finally have the chance to tee up at the Queen Sirikit Cup after a long-awaited delay caused by the global pandemic.
“We are also grateful to Laguna National Golf and Country Club and the Singapore Ladies Golf Association (SLGA) for their continuous support and commitment towards ensuring this tournament returns to the regional golfing calendar.”
SLGA president Lyn Yeo said: “The girls coming to Singapore are amongst one of the strongest fields ever in the history of the Queen Sirikit Cup. It will be interesting to see how they tackle the challenging Masters course. Shannon Tan shot a record 63 in a tournament here last year and I’m excited to see how she fares against the best players from the Asia Pacific.
“I’m also looking forward to seeing whether the strong Japanese team can challenge the formidable Koreans who have dominated both the team and individual events. Whatever the outcome, I’m confident we’ll witness the birth of the next LPGA superstar in Singapore.”
The last Queen Sirikit Cup took place at Glenelg Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia, in March 2019 and Singapore last hosted the tournament in 2012.
