◾ Japan’s Shibuno Hinako adds depth to the illustrious field that already features Lydia Ko, Soyeon Ryu and Hyojoo Kim
◾ Excitement builds up with four Major champions ready to battle it out for the championship
Japan’s Shibuno Hinako, the 2019 AIG Women’s British Open champion, is the latest star to commit to the inaugural Simone Asia Pacific Cup which tees off at the Pondok Indah Golf Course in Jakarta, Indonesia from August 18-20.
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and South Korean duo Hyojoo Kim and Soyeon Ryu, who boast a total of five Major titles between them, have already confirmed their participation at the inaugural tournament which boasts a lucrative prize purse of USD$ 750,000.
Nicknamed the ‘Smiling Cinderella’, Hinako first shot to worldwide stardom when she captured the 2019 AIG Women’s British Open in what was her first tournament outside Japan back then. The feat made her the first Japanese Major winner in 42 years since Hisako Higuchi.
A six-time winner on the LPGA of Japan Tour, Hinako only made her full season debut on the LPGA Tour this year after earning her card through the Qualifying School.
She has enjoyed an impressive start by posting three top-10 finishes, with her best result being a runner-up finish to Kim at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii in April.
With her current rich vein of form, Kim, the world number nine, will be the one to look out for at the Simone Asia Pacific Cup. She has posted two top-five finishes in the last two Major starts including a tied-third result at the Amundi Evian Championship last week. Kim won the Amundi Evian Championship in 2014 for her sole Major title to date.
Fans will also be relishing the prospects of seeing Ryu and Ko, who are both two-time Major winners, teeing it up in Jakarta for the first time.
Ryu secured her maiden Major breakthrough when she captured the 2011 US Women’s Open before adding a second by winning the 2017 ANA Inspiration. The LPGA Tour’s 2017 Player of the Year has six LPGA Tour wins under her belt.
Ko, meanwhile, is the highest-ranked player in the field. The world number four has already won 17 tournaments including two Major victories she attained at the 2015 Evian Championship, and 2016 ANA Inspiration.
All four Major champions will be under no illusion that they will have it easy in Jakarta, knowing they are going to be challenged by some of the most talented players such as the South Korean pair of Bomee Lee and Youmin Hwang, American Yealimi Noh, Thailand’s Jaravee Boonchant, Hong Kong’s Tiffany Chan and Indonesia’s very own Tatiana Wijaya.
Unlike other regular golf tournaments, Simone Asia Pacific Cup features a ground-breaking format where all 44 players form 22 teams and play for their countries too. It is a 54-hole stroke play tournament, with scores from individual players added and counted towards the team scores. The individual contest offers a prize purse of USD $500,000 while USD $250,000 has been allocated for the team competition.
Paul Park, Secretary General of Asian Golf Leaders Forum said: “We are very excited now that Shibuno Hinako’s entry has been confirmed. The rematch between Hinako and Kim after their clash in Hawaii could also be a mouth-watering affair for all golf fans. The stellar field, along with the best players from the region, will certainly make this inaugural event a highly-anticipated one.”
Simone Group President Eungwan Kenny Park said: “We are looking forward to the start of the Simone Asia Pacific Cup as it promises to be a world-class golfing spectacle that will delight all golf fans. It will be an intriguing contest between several of the world’s best players and Asia’s finest in Jakarta and we cannot wait for it to get underway in three weeks.”
