Major champion Hinako commits to inaugural

Simone Asia Pacific Cup

Japan's Shibuno Hinako

◾ Japan’s Shibuno Hinako adds depth to the illustrious field that already features Lydia Ko, Soyeon Ryu and Hyojoo Kim

◾ Excitement builds up with four Major champions ready to battle it out for the championship 

Japan’s Shibuno Hinako, the 2019 AIG Women’s British Open champion, is the latest star to commit to the inaugural Simone Asia Pacific Cup which tees off at the Pondok Indah Golf Course in Jakarta, Indonesia from August 18-20.

New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and South Korean duo Hyojoo Kim and Soyeon Ryu, who boast a total of five Major titles between them, have already confirmed their participation at the inaugural tournament which boasts a lucrative prize purse of USD$ 750,000.

Nicknamed the ‘Smiling Cinderella’, Hinako first shot to worldwide stardom when she captured the 2019 AIG Women’s British Open in what was her first tournament outside Japan back then. The feat made her the first Japanese Major winner in 42 years since Hisako Higuchi. 

A six-time winner on the LPGA of Japan Tour, Hinako only made her full season debut on the LPGA Tour this year after earning her card through the Qualifying School. 

She has enjoyed an impressive start by posting three top-10 finishes, with her best result being a runner-up finish to Kim at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii in April.

With her current rich vein of form, Kim, the world number nine, will be the one to look out for at the Simone Asia Pacific Cup. She has posted two top-five finishes in the last two Major starts including a tied-third result at the Amundi Evian Championship last week. Kim won the Amundi Evian Championship in 2014 for her sole Major title to date.

Fans will also be relishing the prospects of seeing Ryu and Ko, who are both two-time Major winners, teeing it up in Jakarta for the first time.

Ryu secured her maiden Major breakthrough when she captured the 2011 US Women’s Open before adding a second by winning the 2017 ANA Inspiration. The LPGA Tour’s 2017 Player of the Year has six LPGA Tour wins under her belt.

Ko, meanwhile, is the highest-ranked player in the field. The world number four has already won 17 tournaments including two Major victories she attained at the 2015 Evian Championship, and 2016 ANA Inspiration. 

All four Major champions will be under no illusion that they will have it easy in Jakarta, knowing they are going to be challenged by some of the most talented players such as the South Korean pair of Bomee Lee and Youmin Hwang, American Yealimi Noh, Thailand’s Jaravee Boonchant, Hong Kong’s Tiffany Chan and Indonesia’s very own Tatiana Wijaya.

Unlike other regular golf tournaments, Simone Asia Pacific Cup features a ground-breaking format where all 44 players form 22 teams and play for their countries too. It is a 54-hole stroke play tournament, with scores from individual players added and counted towards the team scores. The individual contest offers a prize purse of USD $500,000 while USD $250,000 has been allocated for the team competition.

Paul Park, Secretary General of Asian Golf Leaders Forum said: “We are very excited now that Shibuno Hinako’s entry has been confirmed. The rematch between Hinako and Kim after their clash in Hawaii could also be a mouth-watering affair for all golf fans. The stellar field, along with the best players from the region, will certainly make this inaugural event a highly-anticipated one.”

Simone Group President Eungwan Kenny Park said: “We are looking forward to the start of the Simone Asia Pacific Cup as it promises to be a world-class golfing spectacle that will delight all golf fans. It will be an intriguing contest between several of the world’s best players and Asia’s finest in Jakarta and we cannot wait for it to get underway in three weeks.”

About Simone

Title sponsor Simone is the leading global company in the luxury fashion industry. It provides its customers with a full service of manufacturing based on industrialised craftsmanship standards. Simone is also the number one luxury bag Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) in the world.  Details of Simone's products and services are available on their official website, www.simone.co.kr 

About Ladies Asian Tour Series

Ladies Asian Tour (LAT) Series is a group of ladies professional golf tournaments in Asia for Asian ladies’ golfers created by a coalition among sanctioning bodies in the region of Asia. The purpose of Ladies Asian Tour (LAT) Series is to create Asia's own series by not interfering with sanctioning bodies in this region, but by promoting women's golf at a more competitive level in order to secure more fans for Ladies Asian Tour (LAT) series. 

About Asia Golf Leaders Forum

Asia Golf Leaders Forum (AGLF) is a non-profit corporation, led by four founders Mr. Jung-Tai Kim of Hana Financial Group, Mr. Gwang-Soo Hur of Korea Golf Association (KGA), Mr. Sang-Yeol Kim of Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA), and Mr. Kenny Park of Simone. With a mutual understanding with the R&A and golf associations in Asia such as Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, AGLF's mission is to unite all the Asian golf associations and create synergies to boost Asian golf to a global arena. Together with corporate partners, the AGLF is working to establish and grow Asia's own series of women’s golf by co-developing with existing tournaments or establishing new tournaments in countries across Asia. R&A has put its support behind AGLF and LAT for this new milestone in Asian Golf.

About Korea Golf Association

Korea Golf Association (KGA) is a governing body of golf in Korea that organises three (3) national open championships such as the Korea Open, the Korea Women's Open and the Korea Senior Open as well as approximately 20 amateur events annually. The KGA was established in 1965, and supported by a few golf clubs here in Korea. The KGA was affiliated with a member of the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) in 1965 and the International Golf Federation (IGF) in 1968. The KGA is consist of seventeen (17) regional golf associations, four (4) affiliated golf associations and ninety-three (93) member golf clubs. The KGA has achieved proud results by winning the 2016 Rio Olympic Women's individual, World Amateur Team Championships and other international events and also produced proud players such as K.J Choi, Seri Pak, Inbee Park and Sungjae Im who was the Rookie of the year for the 2018-19 PGA tour.

About Asia Pacific Golf Platform

The Asia Pacific Golf Platform (APGP) is a corporate subsidiary of the Asia Golf Leaders Forum (AGLF), founded to execute business opportunities coinciding with the operations of the AGLF. Led by President Kang Hyungmo, a board director of the AGLF and the former vice-chairman of the Korea Golf Association, and Secretary-General Paul Park, also the secretary-general of the AGLF and director of Hana Financial Group Sports, the APGP is currently organising the Asia Pacific Golf Platform 2022 to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia from Aug. 15th to the 20th. The Asia Pacific Golf Platform 2022 will be a monumental week signifying the grand start of the AGLF’s and APGP’s mission: to unify the players and national associations of the Asia Pacific and create a platform where they can further promote and develop women’s golf in the region. To further emphasise this goal and mission, the APGP has promised to donate USD$250,000 of the total prize purse from the Simone Asia Pacific Cup (set to be held during the Asia Pacific Golf Platform 2022) and distribute it evenly to each participating APAC national golf association for them to invest and further develop the game in their own countries. The APGP plans to be involved in future AGLF Ladies Asia Tour (LAT) Series events and will help stimulate more business opportunities to then reinvest back and help grow women’s golf in Asia-Pacific.