PAST AND CURRENT WINNERS MAY MAKE A BEELINE FOR BINHAI OPEN
HONG KONG: Since its inception over two years ago, the Ladies Asian Golf Tour (LAGT) has largely helped to raise the profile of the women professionals from Asia, particularly from China, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, and even to a certain extend, the second echelon players from Korea.
Teenager TSENG, YA NI of Chinese Taipei, the 2007 winner of the DLF Women's India Open benefited from playing the LAGT events that gave her the strong competitive atmosphere and right temperament. This year, the 19-year-old Ya Ni defeated Maria Hjorth in a four-hole sudden death playoff to become the first Taiwanese player to win an LPGA major championship. She won the McDonald's LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola with a four-round tally of 12-under-par 276 (73-70-65-68). The win also catapults Ya Ni to the top of the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race. And ? wow! USD300,000 winner's cheque for her effort.
Ya Ni's impressive run continued when she finished tied-14 in the Ginn Tribute hosted by Annika Sorenstam. Also finishing well on that event were other LAGT players CHOI, NA YEON of Korea (tied 6th) and Thailand 's GULYANAMITTA, RUSSAMEE (tied 54).
