Top field ready for Qingdao Women's Golf Open

The CLPG Tour returns to Shandong Province for the first time in a decade this week with the Thursday tee-off of the Max Caihong Qingdao Women's Open.

Sui Xiang goes into the RMB800,000 tournament at Qingdao Linghai Hot Spring Golf Club holding the hot hand as the Guangdong veteran posted a one-stroke victory at the Moutai Singapore Women's Masters earlier this month for her third career title.

The 27-year-old, who battles a chronic back condition, has played some of the best golf of her career this season with three top-three finishes to sit second on the CLPG Tour points ranking behind Ren Yijia.

"This win has given my confidence a huge boost," said Sui, 368th on the Rolex World Rankings. "It motivates me even more in training and competition going forward. There are so many young players around me now, and this victory feels like a catalyst, allowing me to stand on the tee with greater self-assurance."

Equally hot is amateur Liu Yujie. The Beijing teenager currently sits an impressive 17th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and comes into Qingdao fresh off an appearance at the Ai Miyazato Suntory Ladies Open on the JLPGA Tour where she made the cut and finished a respectable equal 36th. Last month, she won the Orient Masters Beijing Women's Open for her second CLPG Tour title in as many years.

The 16-year-old called Qingdao Linghai Hot Spring, a parkland-style course situated 85 minutes northeast of the city center, a challenging layout with its narrow fairways and 6,615-yard length.

"There are no par fives that let you reach the green in two, nor short par fours that you can drive onto the green. I think this course presents some real tests - the greens are divided into multiple sections, requiring both power and precision," said Liu who is currently entertaining full-scholarship offers from more than a dozen U.S. universities. For now, her focus is to secure consecutive CLPG Tour victories.

"I definitely have confidence, but I don't want to overthink it. After all, the China LPGA Tour is getting stronger and stronger, and the field is loaded every week - including so many talented players this week," she said. "This is a brand-new course for me, so I'll just enjoy the week and savor the great time competing with everyone."

With 125 players from 13 countries and regions competing this week, other notables in the field include top amateurs Ni Zixin and Han Zilin who have recently finished their U.S. college season, a veteran group of Thais hungry to win, and points leader Ren looking for her fourth title of the season.

"My game in the first half has been pretty good, though maybe one or two events didn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped," said Ren,16, 250th in the Rolex Rankings. "I'll do some reflection and hopefully shore up those shortcomings."

The Dalian native, who leads Sui by 49.417 points in the points rankings may hold a slight advantage at the layout created by designers Les Watts and Lin Zhenrong as she won a Volvo junior event at the venue as a young amateur.

"But it's been a few years, and I don't really remember some of the holes. Plus, the course distance and layout for the China LPGA Tour are quite different, so today's practice round has actually been about getting reacquainted with it."