This week the TLPGA Tour heads south to the 6321-yard Takangshan Golf Course, Kaohsiung for the TLPGA South Taiwan Open. Highlighting this week’s 97-player field is Taiwan native Lu Ya-Huei (呂雅惠), who will look to defend her title after another fruitful year with five top-10 finishes and a promising chance to end the season at number one.

Winner of the 71 professionals from six countries will receive the champion prize of NT$500,000. The 54-hole tournament will have a cut after two rounds. Players holding a 36-hole score in the top 50 and ties advance.

Lu has notched five top-10s on the Tour this year, including a runner-up finish at the Fubon Ladies Open (富邦女子公開賽), and her consistency has put her on the lead of the TLPGA Official Money List despite not winning a title. She was the winner of last year’s event, coming through a one-hole play-off to edge 19-year-old Cheng Meng-Chu (陳孟竺).

Other local players to watch is Taiwanese Shih Huei Ju (石惠如), the TLPGA no.5 has won two titles this season at the Technology Cup (科技盃公開賽) and the TLPGA & Wu Fong Heritage Tour (霧峰傳承賽). And Cheng Yi-Yu (鄭宜宥), winner of the latest TLPGA & Tsai Hsing Heritage Tour. Cheng Ssu-Chia (程思嘉), the teen prodigy, will also be challenging on her record-breaking third victory in the year as an amateur after Chung Cheng Ladies Open (中正杯公開賽) and Fubon Ladies Open.

Apart from the home players, a group of 21 from Thailand should set their eyes on the final crown. Patcharajutar Kongkraphan, also known on the tour as “PK” or “Spice Girl”, is definitely one of the big favorites among all. The popular contagious youngster just claimed her 2014 LPGA card after clinching Symetra Tour's money title.

According to WWGR guideline, Tour must have a minimum yearly schedule of ten events to gain eligibility in the application of the membership, while this year the TLPGA had shown its ambitions and released the calendar with twenty events, including 13 professional tournaments (5 co-sanctioned with LAGT, 1 co-sanctioned with KLPGT, and the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship co-sanctioned with GAROC and USLPGA).

TLPGA chairwoman Liu Yi-Chen hopes, with the support and the tremendous efforts put up by members and sponsors, the TLPGA Tour can very soon be joining other WWGR member tour as one of the leading brands around the globe.