IT GLORIES in the title of a world championship. And, though this year’s winner may not be universally recognised as the world’s best, as the winner would if it were, say, boxing or swimming, this year’s HSBC Women’s World Championship is certain to produce a champion of rare quality.
The event, of which Inside Golf is a proud media partner, is an early highlight of this year’s LPGA Tour. It has been conducted 16 times and on 14 of those occasions has been taken out by a major champion.
Played at the Tanjong course at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club, one of Asia’s most acclaimed and iconic venues, this year’s event has attracted a top-class field, including world No 2 Ruoning Yin and nine of the world’s top 10 players, including Australia’s Hannah Green, the defending champion.
The HSBC Women’s World Championship, which offers prize money of US$2.5 million and is often referred to as ‘Asia’s Major,’ will be played from February 27 to March 2.
Green, 27, the world No 6, won last year’s edition by a stroke from France’s Celine Boutier, after making birdies on the final three holes to shoot 67. It was her fourth LPGA title and made her the second Australian winner of the event, after Karrie Webb in 2011.
“Even before my win, this event was always one of my favourites on tour,” Green said. “HSBC does an excellent job hosting us, and Sentosa Golf Club does the same preparing the course.
“Coming back as the defending champion makes it even more special. Last year was a strong year for me, and I’m hoping to carry the momentum into the current season.”
After her win in Singapore, Green added two more LPGA Tour titles to her name, successfully defending her title at the JM Eagle LA Championship in April and winning the BMW Ladies Championship in October to cement her standing as one of the game’s genuine stars.
She will be joined in Singapore by fellow Australians Minjee Lee, Gabi Ruffels, Grace Kim and Steph Kyriacou.
Lee, who has spent much of her break in Perth, working with coach Ritchie Smith, is coming off a winless 2024 and will be looking for a better year in 2025.
Already the winner of 10 LPGA events, including two majors, she will be using a broomstick putter, hoping to overcome an unwelcome tendency to miss putts of four feet and less.
Ruffels, the Epson Tour Player of the Year in 2023, had four top 10 finishes last year and is making her first appearance in the HSBC Women’s World Championship.
Kim, who won the 2023 Lotte Championship in her first year on the LPGA Tour, had three top 10 finishes last year; while Kyriacou finished runner-up in last year’s Evian Championship. Both players are making their second appearance at Sentosa.
They will be up against a quality field, including New Zealand champion Lydia Ko, the world No 3, who has already claimed 22 LPGA Tour wins, including three majors, and is making her 10th appearance in the event.
As well as Green and Yin, the field boasts world top 10 players Jeeno Thitikul, of Thailand, American Lilia Vu, Haeran Ryu of Korea, Ayaka Furue of Japan, Celine Boutier, and Charley Hull of England.
Last year alone, these stars secured 15 victories, with Thitikul contributing two wins, including the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in November. She returns to the event after missing last year due to a thumb injury.
Two-time winner Jin Young Ko will be looking to get back into the winner’s circle for the first time since May 2023, while Lila Vu will be seeking her first top-10 finish in Singapore. China’s top-ranked player, 22-year-old Ruoning Yin, is hoping to add to her tally of LPGA titles, having already won five times.
Major champion American Danielle Kang will return for her 11th appearance after receiving a sponsors’ invitation. Also gaining an invitation was Singapore’s Shannon Tan, a member of the Ladies European Tour, who won the Kenya Ladies Open last year in her first year on tour.
Sentosa Golf Club is one of the world’s premier golf facilities, having won titles for ‘Asia’s Best Golf Course’, ‘Asia’s Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility’ and ‘Singapore’s Best Golf Course’ in the 2024 World Golf Awards.
Golf fans can look forward to a thrilling four-day spectacle, featuring world-class competition and an array of entertainment and activities on and off the course.
The event will be televised by Fox Sports.
