Returning to the Sentosa Golf Club, defending champion Jin Young Ko aims to secure her place in history as the first player to achieve a hat-trick of titles at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, which begins on Thursday.
The Tanjong course, the venue for the US$1.8 million LPGA tournament, holds the distinction of being the only course where Ko has clinched victory twice globally. Her goal is to rekindle her success at this venue once more.
“I love seeing all the fans here in Singapore. There are also many Korean fans here and it’s nice to see them so excited and having the opportunity to watch us play here. The HSBC Women’s World Championship is a very special event to me and I can’t believe how fast time flies as it was only a year ago when I won again here,” said Ko.
The world no. 6 South Korean won the tournament by two shots in 2022 and 2023 and is pleased she is feeling healthy again after having to struggle with persistent wrist injuries in the past.
“I had a lot of injuries the last three years. But I feel it’s getting better in the last two years. I’m just very happy that I’m injury-free now and able to play golf.
“There are a lot of good players in the field and everyone is looking to win this tournament, including myself. I cannot control how they play but the only thing I can do is to try my best and see what happens from there.
“I played the back-nine today, and there has been a little bit of changes in the pin positions from last year. The bunkers also seem a little bigger. It’s not easy to play this golf course but if I can hit a lot of fairways, and greens and make many birdies like last year, I’ll be okay,” said Ko.
Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand. Photo: HSBC Women’s World Championship
Meanwhile, Patty Tavatanakit, currently in top form and a self-confessed perfectionist, is striving to overcome her fatigue as she pursues a third consecutive victory, following back-to-back triumphs in Saudi Arabia and Thailand over the past fortnight.
“I’m tired. There has been a lot of travelling and golf. But on top of that, I’m really excited to be back in Singapore to tee it up in front of the Singapore fans this weekend at HSBC.
“I’m a perfectionist and I don’t like mistakes. I don’t like flaws and little blemishes. I feel like everything is coming together and I have been performing really well. I’ve been working very hard on just making everything a little bit sharper off the tee, approach, around the greens,” said the 24-year-old Thai.
Minjee Lee, who finished runner-up twice in the 2019 and 2022 editions of the Singapore showpiece, believes her strong work ethic and desire to win will eventually help her break her drought in Singapore.
“I would like to contend and get the trophy on Sunday. It is one of the best events. I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself or put too many expectations. I just want to go out there and have fun.,” said Lee.
“I always work hard. You can’t get to a high level without working hard. So, my work ethic has been very good for how many years I’ve been playing- either on tour or off-season. I go to the gym pretty consistently as you want to be healthy so you can also perform well on the golf course,” added the 27-year-old Australian, who has won 10 LPGA Tour events, including major victories at the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship and the 2022 U.S Women’s Open.
Ruoning Yin of China. Photo: HSBC Women’s World Championship
Debutant Ruoning Yin is hoping to shake off the rust from her off-season and return to her winning ways as she comes full circle by competing at the highest level as a graduate of the HSBC Junior Golf Program.
“I grew up as a HSBC Junior golfer and it means a lot (to be competing at the HSBC Women’s World Championship). It just kind of feels like you’ve upgraded. My game is still a little bit rusty from the off-season but I’m working on putting things together and getting better every day,” said Yin.
After turning professional in 2020, the 21-year-old set a record by winning three consecutive tournaments on the China LPGA Tour before earning her LPGA card at the 2021 Q-Series.
Yin then won her first major title at the Women’s PGA Championship in June last year, two months after her breakthrough at the LA Open. The 21-year-old Chinese reached the pinnacle of the world ranking in September 2023 where she stayed there for two weeks.
Attributing her success to the HSBC Junior Golf Program, Yin said: “The HSBC Junior Programme has definitely helped me through the years. All the good players in China, like junior golfers in China, they are all playing HSBC Junior Programme.
The program has given me more experience to play in front of a group and elevate my game. All these are very helpful especially with me playing at the HSBC Women’s Championship for the first time.”
The 2024 HSBC Women’s World Championship will feature 15 out of the world’s top 20 and all the reigning major champions set to compete at Sentosa Golf Club. All the reigning major champions are also set to compete alongside 19 major champions, 43 LPGA winners with a combined total of 175 titles, seven former world No.1’s and 18 Solheim Cup players with 46 appearances between them.
The major champions in the field have a total of 28 titles between them and include all of last year’s major winners: Lilia Vu (The Chevron Championship and the AIG Women’s Open), Allisen Corpuz (U.S. Women’s Open), Ruoning Yin (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship), and Celine Boutier (The Amundi Evian Championship).
The HSBC Women’s World Championship boasts an international field with representation from 20 countries across the world.
Widely recognised as Asia’s Major, seven out of the top 10 ranked players on the field hail from Asian descent. This includes the world’s top three as well as the fifth and sixth-ranked players and joining them are South Korean-born world No. 7 Hyo Joo Kim, the champion of the 2021 edition, and world No.9 Lydia Ko, who recently clinched her 20th LPGA title at the first event of the season.
The 72-hole stroke play tournament will once again take place at the renowned Tanjong Course at Sentosa Golf Club, which hosts its 11th edition of the tournament. Celebrated for its commitment to sustainability initiatives in golf globally, Sentosa Golf Club proudly holds the titles for ‘World’s Best Golf Course,’ ‘Asia’s Best Golf Course,’ and ‘Singapore’s Best Golf Course’ as awarded at the 2023 World Golf Awards.
