A roster of 108 players from 9 countries geared up for the upgraded Kaohsiung City Ladies Open for Charity, starting this Wednesday, at the Kaohsiung Golf Club.

The event was previously a Heritage Tour 36-hole tournament on the 2017 and 2018 calendar; however, co-host Mr. Frank Chen Cultural and Educational Foundation teamed up with the Advanced International Multitech Co., Ltd. to elevate the Kaohsiung Golf Heritage Tour into an official, international pro TLPGA Tour tournament status with its 54-hole format, ready to give away a total purse up to NT$3 million.

29 pro women tested the layout today as they joined an 18-hole pro-am with 113 amateur golfers. The event on Tuesday collected a total of NT$260,000 cash donation to be endowing local charity Taiwan His Hands Christian Home.

Located within the tourist attraction in the Cheng Ching Lake Scenic Area, the Kaohsiung Golf Club, which opened in 1961, is one of the oldest course in Southern Taiwan. “We aim to spread our footprints of the TLPGA Tour into every part of the island. And as one of our prominent mission at the TLPGA, we hope to continue to share the love and hope we have found in golf, to inspire and bring joy to those in need,” said TLPGA chairwoman Cheng Mei-Chi.

Six of the top-10 on the 2019 TLPGA Tour money list will tee it up in the first Kaohsiung Ladies Open tomorrow, including no.3 Cheng Hsuan (陳萱), no.4 Babe Liu (劉嬿), no.5 Lee Hsin (李欣), no.6 Lin Tzu-Chi (林子麒), no.8 Huang Ching (黃靖), and no.10 Lee Chia-Pei (李佳霈). Liu has tallied eight wins in Taiwan, China, and Japan over the years. She’ll be seeking her third top-10 finish this year on the TLPGA Tour and a ninth professional victory after her Tainan Professional Golf Ladies Open title last November.

Jessica Peng (彭婕), who now plays regularly on the China LPGA Tour and is ranked no.6 on the order of merit, will return to her home event this week as well and so will Hsieh Yu-Ling (謝瑀玲) and Chen Szu-Han (陳思涵), who have their base on the Japan LPGA Step-Up Tour.

Focus will also be on the young guns in three-time pro tour victor Hou Yu-Chiang (侯羽薔), 15-year-old sensation Wu Chia-Yen (吳佳晏), who already is a TLPGA Tour champion after lifting the Party Golfers Ladies Open 2018 trophy, and home-course player Chou Yi-Tsen (周怡岑).

Hou just notched an impressive two wins in as many months at the CLPGA Tour’s Zhangjiagang Shuangshan Challenge in June, and a fortnight ago at the TLPGA Tour-LPGT (Ladies Philippine Golf Tour) co-sanctioned ICTSI Pradera Verde Classic.

Some of the leading players from Thailand, including multiple TLPGA Tour title holder Parinda Phokan, and Arpichaya Yubol, who is a back-to-back winner of LPGT events at Manila Southwoods and Manila last March and April respectively, are in the fold as well. Current no.9 on the CLPGA Tour order of merit, Chonlada Chayanun, will also be looking high on the winning goal.

China’s assault will see 18-year-old Liu Yiyi (劉依一) among those who were tipped to contend. Liu took her first career win at the CTBC Ladies Classic this March.

First-round action of the 2019 Kaohsiung Ladies Open for Charity is set to begin at 6:30 a.m. from the first and tenth tees; the final group is scheduled to start at 8:40.