The beginning of the 2023 TLPGA Tour season returns at the Orient Golf & Country Club. The Hitachi Ladies Classic, in its 15th year in the row now, will take place this weekend, featuring a prize purse of NT10 million.

The tournament is presented by Hitachi, and Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning Taiwan. First-round play begins on Friday at 7:30.

102 professionals from Taiwan, Thailand, and Japan, as well as 6 amateur players, will play for a NT$2.5 million top prize through three rounds of stroke-play competition. A cut will be made after 36 holes to the top 60 and ties.

Annual proceeds from the tournament will again aid local charities. Over the past fourteen years, the donation amount has reached as high as NT$85 million.

Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning Taiwan President M. Kikuchi presented another symbolic “Royal Blue Jacket” today to the 2022 champion Tsai Pei-Ying (蔡佩穎), on the event’s kick-off ceremony. Tsai, who recorded one win on both the TLPGA Tour and the Japan LPGA Tour in 2022, returned with a goal to go lower than last year’s winning score of 11-under 205.

“I can’t say I don’t want to win, but I’m really trying to just focus on myself. If I can play my game, never giving up on any opportunity, I know I can do pretty well here,” said Tsai. “I would like to thank Hitachi for giving us such an awesome atmosphere to start every new year.”

Tsai closed the 2022 TLPGA Tour in the third place on the official money list. Meanwhile, she finished in no.38 on the JLPGA Tour.

Her fellow JLPGA Tour campaigners Teresa Lu (盧曉晴), who notched three top-10 finishes last year in Japan and ended the season in no.48, and Phoebe Yao (姚宣榆) are also in the field.

U.S.-based Hsu Wei-Ling (徐薇淩), Chien Pei-Yun (錢珮芸), Lee Min (李旻), and Hou sisters, Yu-Sang (侯羽桑) and Yu-Chiang (侯羽薔) will kick off their new year at home this week as well. Lee has won this event once in the 2017 edition.

2022 TLPGA Tour No.1 Chang Ya-Chun (張雅淳), who had six top-10 finishes and bagged her biggest ever prize with a win at the Wistron Ladies Open, is moving in just her sophomore year as a pro and hoping to continue to write records.

Teen sensation Wu Chia-Yen (吳佳晏), who will be playing her first full season on JLPGA’s Step-Up Tour, hopes to improve from her runner-up finish last week at the CTBC Invitational.

2022 year-end No.2 Lee Hsin (李欣) and No.6 ranked Juliana Hung (洪玉霖) both grabbed two victories last year on the Tour. They will be gunning at their maiden title at the Hitachi Ladies Classic.