CLGPA stars to slug it out in Beijing
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The 2011 China LPGA (CLPGA) tour's third event will be held in Beijing this month with the nation's best female players facing international rivals in the $50,000 event from May 20 to 22.
The host course will be the picturesque Beijing Renji Golf Club.
"I have played there before," said Huang Ping, who won the season's opening event in Shanghai last month. "It's an impressive and special course which is very interesting and enjoyable to play. I'm really looking forward to the competition."
Thailand's Porani Chutichai, who is just coming off winning the season's second event in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, said she was unfamiliar with the course but was confident after her recent success.
"I got a boost from the Yangzhou win. I'm confident about playing well in the next two stages in Beijing," said Chutichai. "I have no idea about the new golf course, but I am hoping to win at least one of the two events. I want to have good memories of Beijing."
After the Renji event, the tour moves to Beijing's Orient Pearl Country Club later in the month.
Beijing-born local player Li Wei, last year's winner in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, hopes to pick up one of the two titles on home soil to give local supporters something to cheer about.
"I hope the home courses will give me extra luck," Li said. "I did not play well in the first two events, but I will try my best to see if the next two in Beijing will be a turning point for me."
The Chinese Golf Association (CGA) and the Orient Golf Group combined to establish the CLPGA Tour in a bid to emulate the success of South Korea's women golfers on the international stage.
The debut season in 2009 featured eight tournaments; now the tour boasts 18 events and continues to attract more international players.
According to the CGA's plan, the CLPGA will soon join the international tour points system, which means more international stars and competitive events in China.
"We are getting closer to the international women's golf system after two years of developing the CLPGA," said Zhang Xiaoning, vice-president of the CGA. "The CLPGA will not only become the platform for Chinese players to improve their games, but also an attractive destination for international stars to gain points and popularity."
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