brand Lexus, held a press conference yesterday in Taipei to announce the fourth edition of the LPGA's prestigious Lexus Cup and the tournament's return to Singapore. Since its debut in 2005, the Lexus Cup has been one of the most anticipated events on the women's pro tour, pitting Team Asia versus Team International. Each team is comprised of twelve professional female golfers from the respective regions with one player designated captain. This year Annika Sorenstam will be captaining Team International for the fourth straight year and Se Ri Pak of Korea will be captaining Team Asia for the second straight year.
Coming into this year's tournament, Team Asia has a 2-1 lead over Team International at the event, with Team Asia's two wins coming in the past two years. Lexus Cup representatives were happy to declare the event's return to Singapore after "a change of scenery" last year in Perth, Australia.
The tournament will be held at the Singapore Island Country Club on the famed Bukit Course. It is one of only three golf courses outside the UK designed by the legendary James Braid, according to a press release from Lexus Cup spokespeople.
During the presentation, Hotai Motors spokesman Hsiao Jin-chun said, "the fourth edition of the Lexus Cup is sure to be especially exciting."
Annika Sorenstam was quoted in the press release as saying, "I am looking forward to captaining the Lexus Cup [International Team] this year and the high quality of players that return year on year is a great testament that this event is growing in stature and attracting the best players today."
Her counterpart, Team Asia's Se Ri Pak had this to say in a phone interview held during the press conference, "I am very excited to be returning as captain of Team Asia." She then added that the talent and chemistry of last year's team was really great, and she is hopeful that it will be the same this year.
When asked how she would feel about using some of the younger players from the tour on Team Asia, Pak replied that she does not really want to speak too definitively about the team, as selections have not been completed, but she does recognize the talent of some of the younger players. When asked specifically about Taiwan's Yani Tseng, Pak said that her major win earlier this year is impressive given her age (19), and that the win plus her overall time on the tour give her a level of experience and poise that one might not normally see in a nineteen year-old player.
