The EFG Hong Kong Ladies Open tees off on Hong Kong Golf Club’s Old Course in Fanling. The US$150,000 event is title-sponsored by the Switzerland-based EFG Bank, co-sanctioned by the TLPGA, China LPGA and the Ladies Asian Golf Tour (LAGT).

First player from Hong Kong to march onto the LPGA Tour, local golf star Tiffany Chan, who conquered the field here in 2016 ago as an amateur, will compete against 108 fellow professional ladies from 14 countries and 14 amateurs. Inaugurated and sanctioned by the TLPGA Tour since 2015, the EFG Hong Kong Ladies Open is the only golf tournament in Hong Kong in which World Ranking points are offered

Organizer, Hong Kong Golf Club director William Doo, HKPGA commissioner Dominic Boulet, LAGT chairman Kato Koichi, HKGA chairman Yochihiro Nishi, CLPGA Tour board director Z-G. Pan and TLPGA chairwoman Cheng Mei-Chi (鄭美琦) were among the special guests in Thursday’s pre-tournament conference. Boulet, Doo, and TLPGA Tour pro-player Kuo Ai-Chen (郭艾臻) came away with a win together in the tradition 18-hole pro-am event earlier today.

“We are delighted to again be the title-sponsor of this great women’s golf tournament,” said Albert Chiu, chief executive for the EFG Bank Asia Pacific. “EFG has been a dedicated supporter of golf in Hong Kong, especially in the fundamental level for young and talented local players, giving them the opportunity to reach their potential and do their countries proud.”

15-year-old amateur Huang Ting-Hsuan (黃亭瑄) is one of the sponsor invites by EFG, who was just crowned the 2019 ANNIKA Invitational winner at the Mission Hills in China against an 80-player field.

“It’s the fifth Hong Kong Ladies Open. We’re happy to stand alongside so many talented youngsters to show the world what they’ve got,” said Doo. “The EFG tournament provides a wonderful opportunity that amateur players can pick up invaluable experience from the pro, and that local players can challenge themselves against a high-quality international field involving different styles of play.”

25-year-old Tiffany Chan will once again be the biggest local hope. She was the first player form Hong Kong to earn a full membership on the LPGA Tour, and also first to compete in an LPGA Tour major at the U.S. Women’s Open.

Chinese teenager Liu Wenbo (劉文博), who became the youngest ever to take the hardware in an official CLPGA Tour event when she was just 16, 2 months, and 11 days in Zhangjiajie, could be springing surprises in her first attempt in Fanling. She is now the second-best Chinese, only behind former No.1 Feng Shanshan (馮姍姍), in the World Rankings. CLPGA Tour money leader Liu Yiyi (劉依一), who captured the TLPGA Tour co-sanctioned CTBC Ladies Classic last month, will also be flying the flag for China this year.

Recent KLPGA 2019 Hanse-PhoenixCC Dream Tour 3rd Tournament champion Chen Yu-Ju (陳宇茹), and Babe Liu (劉嬿), who relishes her performance to finish as one of the only two winners this past Sunday for a CLPGA Tour wildcard into this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, will spearhead Taiwan’s assault.

Chen was very close to winning in 2015 here but fell second. She’s now ranked no.2 on the 2019 TLPGA Tour official money list; she was the year-end money winner in 2018. Liu is now at no.4. In addition to Chen and Liu, the eager TLPGA campaigners include 2017 runner-up Hsieh Yu-Ling (謝瑀玲), 2018 runner-up Chen Szu-Han (陳思涵), no.3 Chen Hsuan (陳萱), no.5 Lee Hsin (李欣), and no.6 Lin Tzu-Chi (林子麒).

2017 champion Supamas Sanchan, and winner of the CLPGA Tour’s season-opening Hengqin Phoenix Tree Building Orient Golf Challenge, Renuka Suksukont, lead the strong Thai contingent.

The layout for the 2019 EFG Hong Kong Ladies Open is set at 6,072 yards. There will be a cut after two rounds to send top-50 and ties into the final round on Sunday. First-round action begins tomorrow from the first and tenth tees at 6:50 in the morning.