LPGA Tour Touches Down in Pattaya - Tee off times for Day 1

The eyes of the golfing world will be fixed on Pattaya for the next week as the cream of the worlds women golfers gather for the annual Honda-PTT LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) Thailand tournament and a share of the $1.3 million prize money up for grabs.

Commencing tomorrow, February 18 at the Siam Country Club Plantation (Old) Course, the opening round of the 2010 LPGA series will see 2009 tournament winner Lorena Ochoa return to defend her title against what has shaped up to be one of the most competitive line-ups on the tour.

Though the prize pool for the tournament this year is $150,000 less than in 2009, and the winner’s share has dropped from $210,000 to $195,000, a world-class field – possibly one of the most competitive to assemble in one place for the entire 2010 tour – are expected to participate.

Joining the 28-year-old Mexican on the fairways and greens will be 59 other leading female golfers including Korean Shin Jiyai, Norwegian Suzann Pettersen, Americans Paula Creamer and Natalie Gulbis, English woman Laura Davies and controversial crowd-drawing American golfer Michelle Wie.

The kick-off tournament of the tour promises to be an exciting event after Ochoa managed to fend off 2009 Rookie of the Year Shin to win the coveted LPGA Player of the Year title by just one point in 2009.

Joining the international players will be three of Thailand’s leading women professional golfers, Russamee (Russy) Gulyanamitta, Virada Nirapathpongporn and Nontaya Srisawang, as well as two amateurs, Thidapa Suwannapura and Ariya Jutanukarn.

Tickets for the event are available through Thaiticketmajor and range from Bt200 (about $US6) for the first day to Bt600 ($18) for the final day on Sunday. People 18-years-old or under, and those 60-years-old or above will be admitted free.

The following are the Tee-off times for day one of the 2010 Honda-PTT LPGA Thailand tournament in Pattaya

Group      Time      Tee      Players
1     8:27 am.     1     Wendy Ward
Amy Yang
2     8:35 amam.     1     Amanda Blumenherst
Lindsey Wright
3     8:43 am.     1     Stacy Lewis
Stacy Prammanasudh
4     8:51 am.     1     Meaghan Francella
Maria Hjorth
5     8:59 am.     1     Sophie Gustafson
Katherine Hull
6     9:07 am.     1     Seon Hwa Lee
Laura Davies
7     9:15 am.     1     Catriona Matthew
Eun-Hee Ji
8     9:23 am.     1     Morgan Pressel
Inbee Park
9     9:31 am.     1     Jiyai Shin
Eunjung Yi
10     9:39 am.     1     Candie Kung
M.J. Hur
11     9:55 am.     1     In-Kyung Kim
Ji Young Oh
12     10:03 am.     1     Jee Young Lee
Vicky Hurst
13     10:11 am.     1     Meena Lee
Hee-Won Han
14     10:19 am.     1     Nontaya Srisawang
*Ariya Jutanugarn
15     10:27 am.     1     Song-Hee Kim
Brittany Lang
16     10:35 am.     1     Kyeong Bae
Natalie Gulbis
17     10:43 am.     1     Kristy McPherson
Sun Young Yoo
18     10:51 am.     1     Sandra Gal
Maria Verchenova
19     10:59 am.     1     Christina Kim
Hee Young Park
20     11:07 am.     1     Na Yeon Choi
Karrie Webb
21     11:15 am.     1     Paula Creamer
Pat Hurst
22     11:31 am.     1     Brittany Lincicome
Helen Alfredsson
23     11:39 am.     1     Yani Tseng
Se Ri Pak
24     11:47 am.     1     Anna Nordqvist
Angela Stanford
25     11:55 am.     1     Juli Inkster
Suzann Pettersen
26     12:03 pm.     1     Cristie Kerr
Michelle Wie
27     12:11  pm.     1     Lorena Ochoa
Ai Miyazato
28     12:19 pm.     1     Shinobu Moromizato
Russy Gulyanamitta
29     12:27 pm.     1     BriMomoko Ueda
Virada Nirapathpongporn
30     12:35 pm.     1     *Thidapa Suwannapura
Mika Miyazato