With 108 players from nine countries to be teeing up at this week’s CTBC Ladies Open, two pairs of siblings grab the attention. Promising youngsters Shi Yuting (石昱婷) and Yuli (石昱莉) from China, and local darlings Hou Yu-Chiang (侯羽薔) and Yu-Sang (侯羽桑) from Taiwan, will be playing in an official Tour event alongside each other for the first time.

The CTBC Ladies Open will be making its maiden voyage to the 54-year-old Linkou Golf & Country Club. This is only the third TLPGA Tour event in ten years the Linkou course has played host to, which was previously the backdrop of the 2014 Yeang Der TLPGA Ladies Open and the 2010 TLPGA Invitational.

The NT$5 million event this week, co-sanctioned by the TLPGA Tour and the China LPGA Tour, will be played on the West and South Course of the Linkou Club. The competition layout is set at 6,710 yards long.

21-year-old Shih Yuting, the elder of the Shih sisters, is in red hot form having notched her first Japan LPGA Step-Up Tour win in June, her fourth career pro title, at the Nichiiko Ladies Open and reached a career high of no.5 on the circuit.

Her three early victories all came on the CLPGA Tour, including consecutive wins at the Le Coq Sportif Beijing Ladies Classic between 2017-2018. In her three outings in the 2019 season, Shih has recorded two top-10 finishes.

“The layout looks very challenging with the long distance, thick trees, and tough, tilted greens,” Yu-Ting said. “But I’m ready, I’m feeling super fresh and confident at the moment after winning in Japan. I’ll be doing my best to play well and enjoy the golf.” Shih is now a CTBC spokesplayer, and so is Hsieh Yu-Ling (謝瑀玲) of Taiwan, who are the two CTBC faces competing this week.

Shih Yuli, who’s now also in the top 20 on the CLPGA Tour order of merit, will be having a second appearance at the CTBC Ladies Open.

Hou Yu-Chiang, being the young sibling but having shone brighter than her big sis, is a three-time winner on the pro tour already, winning as an amateur at the 2018 TLPGA Ladies Open – Nan Pao, 2019 Zhangjiagang Shuangshan Challenge, and the ICTSI Pradera Verde Classic last month on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.

Hou finished just one shot behind the winner, Chonlada Chayanun, in the last edition.

“You got to be very careful here on the Linkou course with your second shots, because the greens are small and tough to attack. Also, it’s been very hot. Fitness and patience will be key, especially when it comes down the deciding moments.” Yu-Chiang said. “I look forward to coming back on the Taiwan Tour to play in front of the home crowd.”

Yu-Sang, the older Hou, made the field as a title-sponsor exempt along with Chen Ching-Tzu (陳靜慈).

The tournament starting on Thursday will be played through three rounds in a 54-hole, stroke-play format. The winner will pocket NT$1 million. A cut will be made after 36 holes to just the top 50 and ties.

Defending champion Chayanun will banner the ambitious 30-women contingent form Thailand, the second largest after host Taiwan. In the past seven stagings of the CTBC Ladies Open, the Thai has come victorious four times, the Taiwanese won twice, and the other victory went to the Korean.

Chayanun’s most recent win was in Zhuhai last march at the Hengqin Phoenix Tree Building Orient Golf Challenge. She finished at no.7 on the CLPGA Tour order of merit in 2018. This year, though, she has been winless, but had a pair of top-10 finishes under her belt to keep her just inside the top-10 at no.9.

Renuka Suksukont, this year’s Zhuhai champion, and Parinda Phokan, who has won multiple TLPGA Tour titles in 2019 (Hitachi Ladies Classic and SAMPO Ladies Open), will be aiming to continue the dominance by Thai players at the CTBC event.

The reigning EFG Hong Kong Ladies Open winner, China’s Liu Yan (劉艷), who’s ranked no.4 on the CLPGA Tour, Pan Yanhong (潘艷紅), and Zhang Yunjie (張芸杰), no.7 and no.8 respectively, will bear the hopes of the Chinese to take their first CTBC Ladies Open crown.

Thirteen of the top-20 on the 2019 TLPGA Tour money list are in the field, led by no.3 Chen Hsuan (陳萱).

Recent Kaohsiung Ladies Open for Charity winner, no.4 Babe Liu (劉嬿), no.5 Lee Hsin (李欣), no.8 Huang Ching (黃靖), and no.10 Lee Chia-Pei (李佳霈) were also among the title hopefuls. Another notable contender is Tsai Pei-Ying (蔡佩穎), who was fresh off a win at the Step-Up Tour ECC Ladies Championship in July.

First-round action will begin at 7:30 from the first and tenth tees concurrently.