Singapore witnesses  'Champion of Champions'

Singapore is too lucky to witnesses the coveted 'Champion of Champions'  at the 2010 HSBC Women's Champions from 25-28 February. Then,  the world's top ten players will be there to compete for top honours.

Leading the charge are past champions and the world's top two players for the 2009 season, Lorena Ochoa (1) of Mexico and Korean sensation Jiyai Shin (2).

The remaining eight players in the top ten of the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings are all champions from the past two seasons and will be eager to get the 2010 season off to a solid start as Singapore takes the second week on this year's Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) calendar with a prize purse of US$1.3 million. Or Ranking for lady's world for your reference.

Joining the stellar line up will be the exciting 23-year-old LPGA rookie Amanda Blumenherst who has been awarded one of the coveted sponsor's invites at this year's tournament. Blumenherst, from Arizona in the United States, turned professional in June 2009 following multiple accolades in her amateur career including the U.S. Women's Amateur title in 2008 and the only three-time National Player of the Year at Duke University.

That the world's top ten are committed to next month's HSBC Women's Champions shows how firmly established the tournament is amongst the leading players. It also demonstrates the growth of the women's golf across the globe with a mix of nationalities challenging at the top of the rankings, of course their discount golf clubs.

American compatriots Cristie Kerr (5), Paula Creamer (7), Angela Stanford (9) and Michele Wie (10) are joined by Scandinavian's Suzann Pettersen (3) and Anna Nordvqist (4), Yani Tseng (6) from Taiwan and Japanese icon Ai Miyazato (8).

Miyazato, a finalist of the 2006 HSBC Women's World Match play Championship, became a Rolex first-time winner at the Evian Masters in 2009 to escalate her position on the rankings and earn her automatic spot in Singapore this year and it is her second appearance in the HSBC Women's Champions.

Nordvqist was another first-time winner on Tour last year and the 2009 rookie will make her debut in the champion's line-up after victory at both the McDonalds LPGA Championship and the LPGA Tour Championship.

Giles Morgan, HSBC Group Head of Sponsorship, said: "Having all of the world's elite players, shows what a worthy sister event the HSBC Women's Champions is to the WGC-HSBC Champions and once again illustrates how our tournaments are spearheading the arrival of world-class golf in Asia.

A total of 63 players will tee-off for four days of stroke play at TMCC. Along with the two sponsors invites, the field will be completed by Singaporean amateur Joey Poh who won the two day Local Qualifying event earlier this month.

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