World No 1 Yani Tseng, centre, poses with other LPGA players wearing traditional Thai costume. From left, Sandra Gal, Ai Miyazato, Paula Creamer and Michelle Wie.
World top 10 face rising stars for LPGA Thailand title
A battle between youth and experience is set to rage at the US$1.5-million Honda LPGA Thailand, starting tomorrow at the Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course.
World No 1 Tseng Yani, newly-crowned Australian Open champion Shin Ji-yai, former champions Ai Miyazato and Suzann Pettersen are raring to go in a strong field, but the up-and-coming talents will be hoping to cause a stir at the par-72 6,469-yard layout.
The most talked about among the young contenders is New Zealand schoolgirl Lydia Ko, who became the LPGA's youngest winner in the Canadian Open last August, aged just 15 years and four months.
Born in South Korea, Ko is still an amateur but her style reminds many of former world No 1 Shin. Ko was neck-and-neck with Shin through three rounds in the season-opening event in Canberra last week but a dismal final round saw her settle for third behind the South Korean by four strokes.
Carrying local hopes will be the Jutanugarn sisters, Moriya and Ariya, whose recent performances suggest they can challenge for the title and make the country proud. Elder sibling Moriya, the co-winner of LPGA Qualifying School last year, made a strong finish at the Australian Open, signing off in fourth place with 13-under 213, one behind Ko and five behind winner Shin. Seventeen-year-old Ariya, a year younger, qualified for the full Ladies European Tour by winning Qualifying School in December. She finished second in the European Tour opener in Christchurch and enters the home event with a wild card.
Other young contenders are American duo Alexi Thompson (18) and Cheyenne Woods, the 22-year-old niece of Tiger Woods.
Among the more experienced golfers eyeing the title are Australia's most successful female professional, 38-year-old Karrie Webb, who boasts an astonishing 38 wins on the LPGA Tour, and America's Juli Inkster, 52, second only to Webb with 31 career wins.
Also here is 35-year-old Korean Pak Se-ri, an icon in Asia with 25 LPGA wins under her belt.
Another crowd favourite in Thailand is America's Paula Creamer, who always puts on a good performance in the Kingdom.
The Honda Thailand tournament has attracted the elite of women's golf, with world's top-10 ranked players among 60 of the LPGA's finest plus 10 star invitees.
Channel 7, the main organiser of the event, will broadcast all four days of the tournament live. Tickets are available at ThaiTicketMajor, with free entry for under-18s and over-60s.
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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/02/21/young-guns-take-aim-in-pattaya/
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