Familiar foes await LPGT stars in Taiwan showdown

The Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) regulars are once again stepping onto familiar battlegrounds – and facing equally familiar adversaries – as they chase a long-awaited breakthrough victory in the Taiwan LPGA Tour.

Thai standouts P.K. Kongkraphan and Cholcheva Wongras, Taiwan’s Ching Huang, Hsin Lee and Yu Ju Chen, Japan’s Yuna Arakawa, and Singapore’s Amanda Tan headline the international field that will stand in the way of the Filipina contenders. These players have repeatedly crossed paths with the LPGT’s finest across the region, carving out a rivalry built on shared fairways, close finishes, and hard-won respect.

Kongkraphan edged Harmie Constantino and three others at the Luisita Ladies International last year. Huang has also proven her mettle on Philippine soil with a victory at Tagaytay Midlands, while Lee, Chen, Arakawa, and Tan have all been long-running fixtures in the Party Golfers Ladies Open. For the Filipinas, these names are anything but new – and that familiarity fuels belief that this could finally be their year.

The NT$5 million Party Golfers Ladies Open unwraps Wednesday (Nov. 19) at the Lily Golf and Country Club in Hsinchu, with the Philippine contingent exuding confidence after a grueling but rewarding LPGT season.

Chanelle Avaricio, Princess Superal, Mafy Singson, and Florence Bisera – all LPGT leg champions this year – lead the charge, eager to convert their local success into international glory.

Bisera is particularly eager, riding momentum from her maiden international win in Thailand last September.

Superal, meanwhile, is determined to reassert her dominance overseas. After becoming the inaugural winner of the Asia Pacific Up in 2022, the multi-titled campaigner has been on a roller-coaster run – winning some events while struggling in others. Consistency continues to elude her this year as well – she captured the Caliraya Springs leg but faltered in a couple of title bids.

But perhaps no one has more unfinished business in Taiwan than Daniella Uy.

Uy’s joint fourth-place finish in 2019 remains the best showing by an LPGT player in the event, falling just three strokes short of local heroine Yu Ling Hsieh. Still winless this LPGT season, the TLPGA campaigner hopes that her experience on this course – and her long-running encounters with many of the same rivals – will finally translate into a triumphant week.

Also joining the strong LPGT cast are Lois Kaye Go, Martina Miñoza, Velinda Castil, Gretchen Villacencio, Annika Cedo, Marvi Monsalve, and Rev Alcantara, each eager to help carve out a historic moment for Philippine women’s golf.

Rounding out the roster are Kristine Fleetwood, Monica Mandario, Marjorie Pulumbarit, Jiwon Lee, Eunhua Nam, and Seo Yun Kim.