WUHAN, Hubei Province, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The combination of more events, greater prize money and the chance to earn valuable Rolex World Rankings points has proved to be a drawing card to attracting more international players to the sixth season of the China LPGA Tour season.
As the Tour gets set to tee off Thursday in Hubei province for the 500,000-yuan Wuhan Challenge, the field features players from eight different countries and regions. Among them is Caroline Bon, the first New Zealander to play on the China circuit. The 27-year-old said she was attracted to coming to China for the chance to play a lot as this year as the tour is offering 15-plus events.
"I played in Europe and I play in Australia, but Australia only has eight events. And Europe for me, from New Zealand, is so far away," said the fourth-year pro who heard about the China LPGA Tour last year while playing on the Ladies European Tour (LET) at an event in Chinese Taipei. "And it (Europe) was so expensive. So China is a place where I can come and play, play lots of events, and from New Zealand it's really close."
Bon, whose best finish this year was an equal seventh at the Beijing Challenge last month, said playing in China would only help in her goal to represent New Zealand at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games with teen star Lydia Ko.
"I definitely wouldn't be here playing if I didn't think it was going to help my career. For me, to get a huge amount of events is really good for improving my golf and my performance. The China LPGA Tour is only going to get bigger. It's not the (US) LPGA or the Ladies European Tour, but it's a stepping stone."
Michelle Koh is another to watch as the 23-year-old Malaysian has transitioned into the China LPGA Tour nicely in making six out of six cut in her rookie pro season. After playing college golf at Campbell University in North Carolina, she heard about the tour through a friend and her father then researched it on the internet.
"I was in college and I was playing decent golf. I was thinking of whether to stay back in the US to work or play golf. I was thinking golf has given me a lot of opportunities and a lot of advantages, and with that I thought about giving golf another shot," said Koh, last year's Malaysian Ladies Amateur champion.
"The China tour is doing very good. Honestly, I think this tour can go very far and it's getting bigger. Thanks to the organizers, they are doing a good job in promoting the tour. Everything is run very professional and I enjoy every event and I looking forward to developing on tour.
"My goal is to go to the (US) LPGA Tour Q School, but after I played here a couple of events I noticed there are still a couple of things I need to improve upon. So I will be working in Asia for now, but definitely looking to go there."
Suh Bo-mi has done America, and the South Korean decided that it was not for her. After three years of playing on the Futures Tour, the US LPGA development circuit, she returned home.
"I came home because I got homesick in the US. This is near Korea, its easy travel and the culture is similar. Here there are lots of tournaments and I've played well in China," said the 33-year-old Seoul native, the 2009 winner of the Suzhou-Taihu Ladies Open on the LET circuit.
After being the runner-up to compatriot Shin Ji-yai at the 2007 China Ladies Open and posting three top-20 this year, Suh said the China LPGA Tour nicely complemented her playing schedule in South Korea.
"I've played five events (in China) this year and I like the tour, the players and the courses. The players are getting better and the China LPGA Tour people treat you really well. Everything is well organized in hotels and transportation and I can concentrate on my golf," she said.
"I still play on the KLPGA, but here is a good chance to improve my game. I still want to win on this tour and staying close to home is good for me."
Bon echoed Suh's sentiments about the quality of the China LPGA Tour, but admitted for a Kiwi girl China is another world for her.
"The golf courses are awesome, and the tour is run really efficiently, but the rest of China is really a big culture shock," she said. "Just travelling by train and seeing all the different people, and the food you eat, everything you do on day-to-day living in China is different. But I'm enjoying it."
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