The world's top two lady golfers, Lydia Ko and Nelly Korda, will join defending champion Jin Young Ko at this year's HSBC Women’s World Championship, which tees off at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore on March 2-5.
All three players have held the No 1 position during 2022 and will be looking for a strong start in 2023 to try to hold or reclaim top spot on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. Only 0.49 points separate World No 1 Ko and second-ranked Korda.
Ko, following a win at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship last year, returned to the top spot for the first time since the summer of 2017. After a season that saw her win three times, she also won LPGA Player of the Year and the Vare Trophy for low scoring average of a remarkable 68.99.
“I had an amazing year and to finish the season with a win and a return to the top of the world rankings was very special," siad Ko. "Looking ahead to next season, Singapore is one of my favourite cities to visit and the HSBC Women’s World Championship is definitely an event I would love to win one day.
"It always has such a strong field and an amazing list of past champions that it would be such an honour to add my name to the list,” added the New Zealander, whose best finish in the championship was T7 in the 2021 edition.
Korda also had a November to remember, capturing her first title in 12 months after health issues saw her side-lined for four months earlier in the year. Her win at the Pelican Women’s Championship briefly returned Korda to World No. 1 until Ko won a week later.
The lanky American, who will also be joined in Singapore by her elder sister Jessica, returns to the island nation for the first time since 2019 with the pair having curtailed their international travel during Covid times.
“We are so excited to return to Singapore having missed out the last couple of years. It is an awesome event, full of the best players in the world and HSBC really think of everything to make it such a special week for us,” said Korda.
This year marks the 15th edition of the HSBC Women’s World Championship and remarkably, of the 14 previous winners, 12 are Major champions.
Kee Joo Wong, CEO of HSBC Singapore said: “HSBC Women’s World Championship is firmly established as a truly world-class event and showcases our commitment to opening up opportunities in women’s sport. We are thrilled to see such a stellar line up for the 15th anniversary of the tournament and excited to welcome fans back this year. Few places, if any, offer all the ingredients we have in Singapore.
"A dynamic global hub, the world’s best golfers, and the incredible setting of Sentosa, will make for another thrilling edition of ‘Asia’s Major’.”
The 72-hole stroke play tournament will once again be played on Sentosa's renowned Tanjong Course, which hosts its tenth edition of the tournament. The golf blub is a leading light in driving sustainability initiatives in golf around the world and was recently named 'World's Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility' at the annual World Golf Awards.
For more information, visit the tournament website at hsbcgolf.com/womens
