Nasa Hataoka, Hyo-joo Kim, So-yeon Ryu, Ariya Jutanugarn, Lydia Ko, Shanshan Feng and Carlota Ciganda are among the latest star players to confirm for the HSBC Women’s World Championship in April.
From 29 April to 2 May, Sentosa Golf Club will host six of the world’s top-ten players, together with the current World No 1, multiple Major winners and three former champions.
The latest players to commit to ‘Asia’s Major’ include Nasa Hataoka and Hinako Shibuno of Japan, ranked 8th and 15th in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings respectively; South Korea’s Hyo-joo Kim and So-yeon Ryu ranked 9th and 16th; and former World No 1s Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand and Lydia Ko of New Zealand.
Further international star power will come in the form of Jutanugarn’s elder sister Moriya, Carlota Ciganda and Azahara Munoz of Spain, Lizette Salas and 2012 winner Angela Stanford of the U.S., Melissa Reid and Georgia Hall of England, and Shanshan Feng of China.
The announcement follows last month’s news that defending champion Sung-hyun Park and World No.1 Jin-young Ko will be competing at this year’s tournament alongside Inbee Park, Danielle Kang and Minjee Lee.
Speaking about her return to Singapore, Ariya Jutanugarn, a double major winner and runner up in Singapore in 2017, said: “The HSBC Women’s World Championship is an important tournament for me. I first played as an amateur in 2013 on a sponsor invite which was an amazing experience and have been back for the last four years.
“This year it starts our Asian swing which I always really look forward to with the courses and conditions. It’s a fantastic tournament at a great golf club so thank you to everyone that has made it happen this year. I’ll do my best to give my fans something to cheer about.”
Seven-time LPGA Tour winner and former champion in Singapore, Angela Stanford added: “The HSBC Women’s World Championship will be the first overseas tournament of the year and it’s no surprise the tour has chosen Singapore to start. It’s a wonderful tournament and one that I have
so many amazing memories of winning, back in 2012.
“I know a huge amount of work has gone into this year’s event so on behalf of all the players competing, I’d like to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone that has made it possible but particularly HSBC, Singapore Tourism Board and IMG. We’re all looking forward to getting back out there next month!
Recognised as one of the premier golf events in Asia, the HSBC Women’s World Championship marks a welcome return for professional women’s golf to Singapore after a one-year gap due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With safety restrictions set to remain in place until after the tournament, HSBC
Women’s World Championship 2021 will be a limited attendance event.
Working alongside title sponsor HSBC and tournament organiser IMG, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has played a crucial role in the planning for this year’s tournament.
Keith Tan, STB’s Chief Executive, said: “Singapore is pleased to welcome the world’s top female golfers to compete in the 2021 edition of the HSBC Women’s World Championship. We are glad to see the return of many of these top players to Singapore to take part in our very first international professional golf tournament since Covid-19.
“Having worked closely with tournament organiser IMG and the LPGA Tour to develop the necessary safe management measures, as well as ensuring the quality of the event remains top notch, we look forward to an exciting tournament next month, and to hosting more major sporting events that are both safe and engaging.”
Partners of the 2021 HSBC Women’s World Championship include Rolex, Fairmont Singapore & Swissôtel The Stamford, Lexus, Singapore Airlines, Under Armour, ECCO, Epson, PengWine, Titleist, Sony, Cobra Golf, Young Master Brewery, Ice Mountain, 100PLUS and Aon.
The last edition in 2019 was won by Sung-hyun Park who joined a glittering list of champions that includes Michelle Wie, Inbee Park, Paula Creamer, Karrie Webb, Ai Miyazato and Lorena Ochoa.
For more information visit the tournament website at hsbcgolf.com/womens
