◾ The star-studded field will battle for both personal and nation’s glory at Pondok Indah Golf Course in Jakarta, Indonesia this August.
◾ 20 teams and 40 players from 15 Asia Pacific countries will compete for a lucrative prize purse of USD $750,000.00
Major winners Lydia Ko of New Zealand and South Korea’s Hyojoo Kim are set to lend their star credentials to the inaugural Simone Asia Pacific Cup from August 18-20.
Currently ranked fifth and eighth on the Women’s World Golf Rankings, Ko and Kim are the highest-ranked players in the USD $750,000 showdown scheduled to take place at the Pondok Indah Golf Course in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Pondok Indah Golf Course (Par-72) is considered the most reputable course in Indonesia. It has also hosted the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang.
The 40-woman field also boasts several established names such as Soyeon Ryu, who has six LPGA Tour and 10 KLPGA wins to her name, Bomee Lee, a 21-time JLPGA winner, as well as up-and-coming young guns Yealimi Noh of the United States, who finished an impressive third at the Evian Championship last year.
Youmin Hwang, the current world number three amateur, New Zealand’s rookie professional Momoka Kobori together with Tiffany Chan, Hong Kong’s sole representative on the LPGA Tour, have also confirmed their participation.
Expect a pulsating battle between these players as they will not only be playing for personal glory but also their country’s honour with the Simone Asia Pacific Cup bringing together teams from 15 APAC golf associations, including Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand to Indonesia.
The tournament features a 54-hole stroke play format, offering a prize purse of USD $500,000 for the individual contest and USD $250,000 for team competition. The winner will also receive a specially designed unique Boston bag by Simone.
Title sponsor Simone, which has a 10% global market share in the world luxury bag industry, has been the number one Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) in the world and a sponsor of the ‘Hana Financial Group Championship’ for the last decade.
President Eungwan Park, in becoming one of the AGLF founders has led to Simone creating this tournament.
South Korea, represented by Ryu and Lee, and Kim and Hwang, will be the teams to watch. But they can expect a stiff challenge from New Zealand with Ko looking forward to teaming up with Kobori, who was a recipient of her Lydia Ko scholarship back in 2016.
Kobori, who is in her second year as a professional, has already made an impact in the play-for-pay ranks by winning four titles, including two on the LET Access Series, the second-tier circuit in Europe.
APGP President, Kang Hyungmo, former Vice-President of the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA), said: “We are looking forward to hosting our first ever competition in Indonesia and we’re already putting in our best efforts to stage a quality event. We are also confident this competition will contribute to the development of women’s golf in this region.”
Simone Asia Pacific Cup is part of the series of tournaments on the Ladies Asian Tour (LAT) Series, which teed off with its season-opening DB Group 36th Korea Women’s Open in June.
Other tournaments on the schedule include the KRW 1,500,000,000 Hana Bank Group Championship, which will take place in September and the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open in December.
The LAT series is projected to host existing tournaments from Thailand and the Philippines. Seven tournaments are expected to be organized by the Asia Pacific Golf Platform (APGP) in 2023, expanding to 10 tournaments in 2024.
During the tournament week, presidents from 15 APAC golf associations will attend the APAC Golf Summit as well as the APAC Women’s Golf Conference, which R&A will be joint-hosting with the AGLF. These conferences will bring together industry leaders where there will be deep discussions on developing and energising women’s golf in the Asia Pacific.
