Taiwan's CTBC Ladies Open golf tournament to begin Thursday
Taipei, Aug. 12 (CNA) The 2020 CTBC Ladies Open will start Thursday in Taoyuan with the participation of 90 golfers, at a time when most international tournaments have been disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers said Wednesday.
The three-day competition will be held at the Orient Golf and Country Club in the city's Guishan District, offering a top prize of NT$600,000 (US$20,383), the Taiwan Ladies Professional Golf Association said at a press conference.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the competition is not open this year to foreign golfers, the association said.
When the tournament starts Thursday, defending champion Hou Yu-sang (侯羽桑), whose world ranking is No. 470, will come up against higher ranking Taiwanese competitors such as Hsu Wei-ling (徐薇淩), Lee Min (李旻), Phoebe Yao (姚宣榆), and Chen Yu-ju (陳宇茹).
Speaking at the press conference, Hou said she will focus on her strategies and do her best against the tougher competition.
Meanwhile, world No. 291 Cheng Ssu-chia (程思嘉) said she was pleased to enter the CTBC Ladies Open after all her preparations for this year's Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour, which has been canceled.
Cheng went to the U.S. at the beginning of the year to prepare for the LPGA tour but returned to Taiwan in mid-February after the cancelation of the events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020 CTBC Ladies Open is free and open to the public, but spectators are required to follow health authorities' COVID-19 prevention guidelines and provide their contact information upon entry to the venue, the organizers said.
Spectators will also be encouraged to write messages of thanks to Taiwan's frontline healthcare workers and health authorities and tie the thank-you cards to a tree at the golf club, the organizers said.
Also at the venue, a Taiwan map made from surgical masks will be on display, highlighting the country's successful epidemic prevention efforts, according to the organizers.
(By Huang Chiao-wen and intern Eden Wang)Enditem/pc
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