Teams Announced for The Queens presented by Kowa

Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG)  has announced its nine-woman team to face the LPGA of Japan (JLPGA), Korean LPGA Tour (KLPGA) and Ladies European Tour (LET) in The Queens presented by Kowa, at Miyoshi Golf and Country Club in Aichi, Japan, on December 4-6.

Playing Captain Rachel Hetherington will be joined in the ALPG team by Katherine Kirk, Sarah Jane Smith, Sarah Kemp, Nikki Campbell, Nikki Garrett, Lindsey Wright, Stephanie Na and Whitney Hillier.

Hetherington, winner of the 2000 Women’s World Cup of Golf with partner Karrie Webb , along with 11 worldwide titles commented: “I’m very much looking forward to captaining the ALPG team in this historic event. We have a very talented group of players on our team who all know each other very well so it will be easy to pair our players up, team spirit will not be a problem with this group! The Queens presented by Kowa presents a fantastic opportunity for us all to play for the first time in a top level international team match play competition, which will be the first of its kind anywhere in the world and we are determined to put up a great performance.”

The Ladies European Team will be led by playing Captain Dame Laura Davies, who will be joined by four members of the 2015 European Solheim Cup Team: Karine Icher, Catriona Matthew, Gwladys Nocera and Melissa Reid, as well as Hannah Burke, Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Emily Kristine Pedersen and 2015 Oates Victorian Open winner Marianne Skarpnord.

The LPGA of Japan Team includes Momoko Ueda, who in 2007 became the youngest player in the history of the JLPGA  tour  to win the money  list. She will be joined by Ayaka Watanabe, Misuzu Narita, Akane Iijima, Shiho Oyama, Erina Hara, Miki Sakai and Ritsuko Ryu.

The Korean LPGA Team includes the 2015 US Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun, Sung Hyun Park, Jung Min Lee, Yoon Ji Cho, Jin Young Ko, Seon Woo Bae, Min Sun Kim, Bo-Mee Lee and recent LPGA Fubon Taiwan Classic winner and 2015 LPGA rookie of the year Sei Young Kim.

The ALPG’s Executive Director Karen Lunn commented: “Everyone at the ALPG is extremely excited about our participation in The Queens presented by Kowa. There is nothing more exciting or compelling than match play, especially in a team environment when countries compete against each other. The interest in women’s golf has never been stronger, and I am confident that together we will create a world class sporting event which showcases the depth of talent that exists globally in our sport. This unique and exciting event is a direct result of the collaboration behind the scenes between the stakeholders involved in women’s golf, particularly within our extended region. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the sponsors Mainichi Broadcasting Systems, along with the LPGA of Japan and the Korean LPGA for inviting the ALPG to participate in this prestigious event. I would also like to thank our partners Puma for providing the ALPG team, caddies and staff uniforms for the tournament. ”

The Teams:

The Australian Ladies Professional Golf Team:

Rachel Hetherington (Captain)

Nikki Campbell

Nikki Garrett

Whitney Hillier

Sarah Kemp

Katherine Kirk

Stephanie Na

Sarah Jane Smith

Lindsey Wright

The Ladies European Tour Team:

Laura Davies (Captain)

Hannah Burke

Karine Icher

Nanna Madsen

Catriona Matthew

Gwladys Nocera

Emily Kristine Pedersen

Melissa Reid

Marianne Skarpnord

The LPGA of Japan Team:

Erika Kikuchi

Momoko Ueda

Ayaka Watanabe

Misuzu Narita

Akane Iijima

Shiho Oyama

Erina Hara

Miki Sakai

Ritsuko Ryu

The Korean LPGA Team:

In Gee Chun

Sung Hyun Park

Jung Min Lee

Yoon Ji Cho

Jin Young Ko

Seon Woo Bae

Min Sun Kim

Sei Young Kim

Bo-Mee Lee

About The Queens presented by Kowa:  

The Queens presented by Kowa is a unique match play tournament featuring four teams of nine players, including a playing captain, from the Ladies European Tour, Ladies Professional Golfers’ Association of Japan, Ladies Korean LPGA and Australian Professional Golf Inc. A total of 34 matches will be played over three days: eight fourball matches on day one, eight foursomes matches on day two and 18 singles matches on day three. Scoring will be through a points system with up to 102 total points available. Each match is worth 3 points to the winning side. If a match ends all square after 18 holes, 1 point will be awarded to each side. The inaugural tournament will take place from 4-6 December at Miyoshi Country Club in Aichi, Japan.

Further information: http://alpg.com.au/tournament.php?id=4154

Media enquiries:

Karen Lunn

Executive Director

karenl@alpg.com.au