The 2022 CTBC Invitational returns at the Kaohsiung Golf & Country Club with a three-round, 54-hole stroke-play format. 64 players from host Taiwan, Japan, and Thailand, teeing up on Thursday, will vie for a NT$5 million purse and a NT$1 million winner’s check. The tournament will be free for all spectators for all three rounds.

The CTBC Bank has been a TLPGA Tour partner since 2012. Formerly known as the CTBC Ladies Open, in 2021, the first CTBC Invitational welcomed 32 TLPGA Tour stars for the very first Match-Play event in Tour history. In the tournament’s ninth consecutive edition in 2020, the CTBC Bank defied the COVID threats and put up one of the biggest professional golf events in the world.

The CTBC Bank is one of the frontrunners in the development of the golf sport in Taiwan. In fact, in 1979, which was 43 years ago, the CTBC hosted the China Trust Cup International Golf Team Championship right here at the Kaohsiung Golf & Country Club.

“Stating from 2011, we launched a new sponsor program to share our support to talented individual golfers. On the women’s side, this year we have eleven ‘CTBC Lady Golf Stars’. We hope they will be able to continue to rise in the game and be the role models for the young generation,” CTBC Vice President Chen G-S spoke of the CTBC roaster, which includes Japan LPGA major titlist Teresa Lu (盧曉晴), Cheng Ssu-Chia (程思嘉), Hou Yu-Sang (侯羽桑), Hou Yu-Chiang (侯羽薔), An Ho-Yu (安禾佑), June Ting (丁子云), Jessica Peng (彭婕), Lin Tze-Han (林子涵), and Chinese player Shih Yuting (石昱婷).

Defending champion Wu Chia-Yen (吳佳晏), who is fresh off a victory from last week’s Taiwan Mobile Ladies Open, is definitely the one to beat this week. Three other former champs looming to retain the crown see Hou Yu-Sang, runner up last week, An Ho-Yu, and Hsieh Yu-Ling (謝瑀玲).

Cheng Ssu-Chia, who won the Island Resort Championship on the LPGA’s Epson Tour in June, also looks to end the title drought on the TLPGA Tour.

“I would like to welcome the TLPGA Tour players on behalf of the Kaohsiung Club staffs, who have been working extremely hard to keep the layout in its best shape,” said Kaohsiung Golf Club chairman Chen C-F. “The CTBC has been very cautious and attentive with regards to the course conditions. They’ve had multiple visits to us to check on every tiny details, on the strictest standards, and I promise to all the ladies, you are going to enjoy the play this week at the Kaohsiung Golf Club very much!”

A traditional pro-am will take place on Tuesday, joined by special guest and CTBC Brothers baseball star Chan Tzu-Hsien (詹子賢), with a cause to help raise donation for education and foodbank projects for local school kids.