Nelly Korda, Michelle Wie, Ssu-Chia Cheng
9:21 a.m. – 10th Tee
Rookie Nelly Korda continues a season of firsts on the LPGA Tour by making her first start at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship. Nelly is the younger of the two Korda sisters, Jessica is also a member, and the only one of the two that is in field this week. She’s coming off a tie for 14th last week in Korea. She will play the opening round alongside Michelle Wie and Ssu-Chia Cheng. Wie returned to the Tour last week in Korea for the first time since August and posted a tie for 23rd. This week, Wie making her first start in Korea since 2015 when she finished tied for 14th. Playing in front of a hometown crowd may be just the spark Cheng needs to turn around a difficult season on Tour. The 2016 rookie has yet to make a cut in 2017. Cheng has teed it up in this event four other times, her best finish coming in 2014 when she was tied for 15th.
Yani Tseng, Sung Hyun Park, Brooke Henderson
10:16 a.m. – 1st Tee
Former world No. 1 Yani Tseng, isn’t worried about the pressures of playing in front of a home crowd this week. In fact, the 2011 winner of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship says she enjoys the pressure and will look to rise to the occasion in Taiwan in hopes of picking up her first win on Tour since 2012. Tseng will play alongside world No. 2 Sung Hyun Park and No. 10 Brooke Henderson. Park is coming off a runner-up finish last week in Korea and making her first start in Taiwan as she looks to pick up her third win of the year. Henderson has also had some success of late, winning for the second time in 2017 in New Zealand followed by a tie for eighth last week in Korea. The Canadian is making just her second start in Taiwan where she finished tied for third last year.
Lydia Ko, Ha Na Jang, Carlota Ciganda
10:27 a.m. – 1st Tee
Winners of the last two editions of this event, Ha Na Jang and Lydia Ko, will play together during Thursday’s opening round. Ko, who hoisted the trophy in 2015, says navigating the weather, especially the wind, will be the key to success this week at Miramar Resort and Country Club. The world No. 9 is coming of a tie for 19th last week in Korea and still remains in search of her first win of the year. Jang, the defending champion this week, is in the field thanks to a sponsor invite after rescinding her membership on the LPGA Tour in May. Jang now plays primarily on the KLPGA. Carlota Ciganda is the third member of this group. She’ll look to carry over the momentum she found last week in Korea when she finished tied for eighth, which is the same result she had in Taiwan in 2016.
So Yeon Ryu, Shanshan Feng, Ariya Jutanugarn
10:38 a.m. – 1st Tee
World No. 1 So Yeon Ryu seems to find success wherever she tees it up. She’s coming off a tie for eighth last week in Korea and arrives in Taiwan where she has yet to win but has twice finished in the top-5, including a tie for second in 2015. She will play alongside Shanshan Feng, who finished runner-up in Taiwan in 2016. Ariya Jutanugarn is the third member of this group and making just her second start in Taiwan where she finished tied for 29th in 2015. Jutanugarn is coming off a tie for 33rd last week in Korea, which is her best finish on Tour since June. The former world No. 1 has struggled over the last several months since ascending to the top of the rankings. She is currently ranked at No. 7.