Rising Thai star Patty Tavatanakit and Singapore’s top player Amanda Tan are among the players who have been given sponsor’s invitations to the HSBC Women’s World Championship, which tees off at Sentosa Golf Club on April 29-May 2.
Tavatanakit announced her arrival on the international golf scene earlier this month, winning the year’s first Major championship in her rookie season. The big-hitting 21-year-old from Bangkok saw off a late challenge from Lydia Ko to claim her first LPGA Tour victory at the ANA Inspiration and joins Ariya Jutanugarn as the only two players from Thailand, male or female, to win one of the game’s Major championships.
“I’m feeling good about where my game is right now, and I really feel ready to take on the rest of the season,” said Tavatanakit. “The win at the ANA Inspiration hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I’m so grateful to my coaches and trainers who helped make that lifelong dream a reality.
“I’m really excited to play the HSBC Women’s World Championship for the first time which is a tournament I’ve always followed from home in Thailand. I’ll be familiar with the conditions in Singapore, so hope I can do well. A big thank you to HSBC and I look forward to seeing you in Singapore!”
Tan returns to the Tanjong Course by virtue of being Singapore’s top ranked player. It will be the 22-year-old’s fourth outing at the tournament having previously played in 2014, 2017 and 2019. Playing at her own club, she will be looking to take full home advantage.
“Thank you very much to HSBC for the invitation to compete in this year’s HSBC Women’s World Championship. It’s a great honour to represent Singapore once again and especially to play at Sentosa Golf Club which is my home club. As always, I’m really looking forward to it and will do my
absolute best to give all the fans at home something to cheer about,” said Tan.
Other players to receive sponsor invitations are Xiyu Lin of China who returns to Singapore for the first time since 2016, while Emily Pedersen of Denmark makes her tournament debut on the back of an impressive run of form on the Ladies European Tour in 2020, notching up four wins together with a runner-up finish in the Aberdeen Standard Ladies Scottish Open.
Olfert De Wit, interim CEO of HSBC Singapore, noted: “The HSBC Women’s World Championship is our flagship event in women’s golf and we are thrilled to have recently announced our ongoing commitment as title partner of the event. Hosting this tournament in one of HSBC’s most important international hubs showcases our firm commitment to Singapore and women in sport.
“Since 2008, we have brought world-class golf to Singapore through our support of ‘Asia’s Major’ with the long-term aim of inspiring the next generation of talent in the region. We are delighted to be able to extend sponsor invitations to such exciting Asian talent as Patty and Amanda and to be able to open up this opportunity for them both. We were thrilled to
see Patty recently become a Major winner and we wish all golfers the very best of luck for the tournament.”
Also in the field is 25-year-old A Lim Kim of Korea, who shot to fame last year when she won the US Open and, in the process, became only the fifth player in history to win a Major championship on debut. The win at Champions Golf Club, Houston earned her a place on the LPGA Tour together with a debut appearance at the HSBC Women’s World Championship.
The players join a stellar field of 69 players at Sentosa Golf Club, set to feature six of the world’s top 10 players, the current World No 1 Jin Young Ko, multiple Major winners and three former champions including 2019 champion Sung-hyun Park.
Park is part of an impressive cast of champions that includes Michelle Wie, Inbee Park, Paula Creamer, Karrie Webb, Ai Miyazato and Lorena Ochoa.
For more information and updates on the HSBC Women’s World Championship, visit hsbcgolf.com/womens
