KUALA LUMPUR: Charley Hull of England, one of the stars in Europe’s 18-10 win over the United States in the Solheim Cup, will be competing in the US$2mil (RM6.5mil) Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia tournament at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) from Oct 10-13.
The 17-year-old, who turned pro in February this year, was a revelation in the Solheim Cup in August. The youngest player in Solheim Cup history overpowered American star Paula Creamer twice, winning the Saturday fourballs and the Sunday singles.
“I’m very grateful to Sime Darby for extending this invitation to me as it will be my first event in Asia. To start with such a significant LPGA event is fantastic. I’ve heard great things about the event and I’m really excited about discovering Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur in particular,’” said Hull, who is expected to generate a lot of interest among Malaysian golf fans with her youthful looks and steely nerves.
Besides Hull, the others invited to compete are Malaysians Ainil Johani Abu Bakar and Aretha Pan, Carly Booth of Scotland, Japan’s Mamiko Higa and China’s Shi Yuting.
Aretha is excited to play at the KLGCC again. Last year, she was the best Malaysian performer when she ended up with a four-day total of 296 to finish joint 61st with Americans Amanda Blumenhearst and Angela Stanford.
“I am extremely honoured to be given the chance by Sime Darby to play at this year’s tournament and to represent my country at one of Asia’s leading events. Being able to pit my skills against the very best in women’s golf is not an opportunity that comes often. I’m absolutely thrilled and will be doing my very best to make my fellow Malaysians proud,” said the 19-year-old.
As for 24-year-old Ainil, the invitation comes just months after her maiden victory at the KENDA Tire TLPGA Open in Taiwan in July.
She said: “I thought that earning my first championship win would be the highlight of my year, but I think this invitation comes a close second! The course is going to be magnificent to play on but it can be a little tricky. I’m going to be practising hard to keep my form.”
Besides Aretha and Ainil, the other Malaysians competing are Cindy Lee-Pridgen and Michelle Koh. Lee-Pridgen and Michelle secured their places after coming out tops in a local qualifying tournament.
When asked about their decision to honour these golfers with sponsor invitations, Tun Musa Hitam, the chairman of Sime Darby Foundation said: “We are absolutely delighted to have them at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, competing with the very best golfers. They have shown that they have the physical and mental strength to take on the challenging game of golf at the highest standard. I’m personally looking forward to seeing them take their game to the next level. I’m also confident that the public will thoroughly enjoy the spectacle of watching four Malaysians as well as seeing the likes of Hull and Yuting competing here in Malaysia.”
This year’s tournament will see a total of 62 stars from the LPGA Tour, led by world No. 1 Park In-bee of South Korea, and 10 sponsor invites making up the 72-player field.
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