Singapore: Thailand’s Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong aims to turn up the heat on her China LPGA Tour rivals when the inaugural Singapore Ladies Masters tees-off at Laguna National Golf Resort Club on Thursday.

Former LPGA Tour member Sherman currently sits atop the China LPGA’s 2023 Order of Merit standings.

It’s a position she hopes to enhance at this week’s US$100,000 event, the first time the China LPGA has staged an event outside mainland China since 2019.

For Laguna National, a Facility Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation, this will be the third professional tournament the club has staged this year.

In February, the Singapore Classic, part of the DP World Tour, was held on the Classic Course. The following month, the Ladies European Tour visited for the Aramco Team Series Singapore on the club’s Masters Course.

“The weather conditions in Singapore are similar to Thailand where I’m from,” said Sherman, winner of last month’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Championship in Shanghai.

“I’m familiar with playing under such hot and humid conditions. Hopefully, I can also play to my strengths, stick to my game plan and do well this week,” she added.

While China’s Shi Yuli, currently ranked third on the CLPGA merit list, is making her Laguna National debut, Hong Kong China’s Huang Zhiying has the advantage of having played the Masters Course on which the 54-hole tournament will take place.

“This is my third visit to Singapore and I’m excited to be back. I played at a Korean LPGA event in Singapore last December and stayed at Dusit Thani then. I took the opportunity to play a round here after the tournament. I like the course layout and it’s nice to be back competing here now.

“There are many water hazards and the greens are very small. Accuracy will be key for me this week,” said Huang.

Also in the starting line-up are two of Asia’s leading female amateurs – Singapore’s Shannon Tan and Indian Avani Prashanth.

Both are in the top-100 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and have been selected for the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation team to take on their counterparts from the European Golf Association in the Patsy Hankins Trophy team match play event in Spain next month.