Ewai Akie Can't Play in HSBC Competition This Week
Ewai Akie Can't Play in HSBC Competition This Week
Blog Article
Rookie Iwai Akie (Japan), the runner-up in the Honda LPGA Thailand, will not be able to participate in the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore this week.
Golf Week, a U.S. golf media outlet, reported on the 25th (Korea time) that "Iwai Akie did not earn any CME points despite finishing second because she participated in the Honda LPGA Thailand as a sponsor," adding, "This prevented her from participating in the HSBC Women's World Championship."
At the Honda LPGA Thailand held in Pattaya, Thailand last week, Akie displayed stellar performance, including 62 strokes in the first round and 61 strokes in the fourth round. Akie, who had a thrilling race with Angel Yin of the U.S. until the very last minute with her final hole eagle, however, her prize money of 158,182 U.S. dollars was not recognized as the official prize money ranking.
In the LPGA Tour, there is a rule that allows participants who rank in the top 10 to automatically participate in next week's competition. However, Honda LPGA Thailand does not have a cutoff, so this rule also does not apply. If Akie had not been invited as a sponsor, she would have earned as many as 320 CME points, which is the standard of eligibility.
Akie, who had six wins at the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour, tied for fifth in the final qualifying round for the LPGA Tour's Q School held in December last year, and became a member. Her twin brother, Chisato, had seven wins at the JLPGA Tour and ranked second in the final qualifying round for the LPGA Tour's Q School. The two will compete in the Ford Championship in Arizona, the U.S., a month later.
The HSBC Women's World Championship (total prize money of 2.4 million U.S. dollars) marks its 17th anniversary this year and will be held at the Tanjong course at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore for four days from Friday local time. The competition is a qualified competition with 66 players and will be held for four days without a cut to determine the winner. Among the Korean players, Kim Hyo-joo (2021) and Ko Jin-young (2022, 2023) won the title. 메이저놀이터
At the HSBC Women's World Championship, nine of the world's top 10 girls including Gino Tikun (Thailand), Lydia Ko (New Zealand), In Luoning (China), Lilia Bu (US), Hannah Green (Australia), Yu Hae-ran (Australia), Ko Jin-young, Charlie Hull (England), and Celine Boutier (France) will participate. Only Nelly Koda (US), the world's No. 1 ranking, will participate. Kim A-rim, Noh Ye-rim, and Angel India, who won the LPGA Tour event held earlier this season, will also participate. Among the rookies, Rio Takeda, Miyu Yamashita (Japan), and Miranda Wang (China) will be on the list.