A total of 132 golfers from around the world will compete at the inaugural China Ladies Open golf championship next month, organizers said on Wednesday.

Song Bo-Bae, a two-time KLPGA Golfer of the Year in 2004 and 2005, is among a bunch of top-class golfers who have committed to playing at the Nov. 16-19, 72-hole tournament in Xiamen, a coastal city in southeast China's Fujian province.

"I hope that the China Ladies Open will grow into a brand event in the near future," said Li Yong, deputy secretary-general of the China Golf Association (CGA).

The China Ladies Open, sponsored by the Orient Golf Club International Group, carries a prize money US$200,000, the most lucrative pro women's event in China.

To promote and encourage more participation from the domestic field, 60 Chinese golfers, including teaching pros and amateurs will be on the starting list.

Over the last two decades, golf in China has soared to great heights and the golf industry is growing by leaps and bounds, especially with the mushrooming of new golf courses in the country.

(Xinhua News Agency October 19, 2006)