SERAPONG COURSE IN TOP CHAMPIONSHIP CONDITION AHEAD OF ASIA’S MAJOR
A stern test of golf awaits the world’s best women golfers when they arrive in Singapore next week for the 2013 edition of the HSBC Women’s Champions which tees off on The Serapong course at Sentosa Golf Club from 28 February to 3 March.
Commenting on the condition of the course and its preparation ahead of what is considered by many to be Asia’s Major, General Manager and Director of Golf at Sentosa Golf Club, Peter Downie said, “Our team is excited and thrilled to welcome the upcoming HSBC Women's Champions to Sentosa and we hope the players will enjoy the challenge of The Serapong and have a successful tournament.”
“We maintain The Serapong at a tournament level all year round and I’m pleased to say the course is in great shape for next week’s tournament with slick putting surfaces, excellent tee conditions, consistently firm bunkers, and great conditioned fairways and roughs. The players can expect a memorable golf experience tackling a number of difficult signature holes, one of which is Hole No. 5. Bordering the South China Sea, the hole is long and rewarding. If your tee shot can reach the speed slot in the fairway between two bunkers, it sets you up for a less difficult approach to the green, as the green can be tricky to manage if coming in with a long iron or wood,” continued Downie.
Speaking about the course ahead of her arrival in Singapore, 14-time LPGA Tour winner Cristie Kerr commented, “It will be my first time playing at Sentosa Golf Club but I heard from my husband who has played there that The Serapong is a beautiful course. Playing at an unfamiliar course is always a challenge that I welcome and it might even be an advantage, so I am definitely looking forward to the tournament being at the new venue this year”.
The Serapong is one of two championship courses at Sentosa Golf Club which is situated at the south-eastern tip of Singapore’s premier island resort of Sentosa. The course was confirmed as host venue for the HSBC Women’s Champions for 2013 until 2015 in a move that will see the world’s best women golfers descend on its championship greens to putt for their share of the US$1.4 million tournament prize purse.
Par-72 and measuring 6,752 metres from the championship tee, The Serapong is one of the top five championship courses in Asia. First opened in 1982, it was the creation of world-renowned golf course designer Ronald Fream. In 2007, The Serapong was redesigned by golf course architect Andrew Johnston and underwent a S$12 million revamp in both course design and greens technology, incorporating SubAir and PermOPore greens maintenance technology and boasts a new configuration and bunker complexes, as well as faster and more challenging greens. With its trademark mounds and contours, two mammoth lakes with stone-lined walls and breathtaking scenery, Johnston made good use of the Singapore harbour as its backdrop to accentuate play.
At another of its signature holes, Hole No. 16, the elevated tee opens up to a view of the twin fairway bunkers ready to steal any ball. While the mid-iron second carries a spectacular creek that slices through the fairway at a 45-degree angle, the massive two-tiered green should be more of a focus when strategising play.
The Serapong was awarded the “Best Golf Course in Singapore” at the recent 2012 Asian Golf Monthly Awards along with the runners-up spot for “Best Championship Course in Asia Pacific”. The awards further seal The Serapong’s position as one of the top courses in the region.
Players qualify for the HSBC Women’s Champions 2013 by winning tournaments on the LPGA Tour or finishing in the Top 20 on the Rolex Rankings (as at December 31, 2012).
The HSBC Women’s Champions is the third tournament on the 2013 LPGA Tour calendar, following the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and the Honda LPGA Thailand 2013 and will see the star-studded field competing for the coveted ‘Champion of Champions’ title and a prize fund of US$1.4 million.
