Nearly 100 Golf Teams in Taiwan Rally behind Swinging Skirt's Glorious Return to Taiwan
(August 3; Taipei) Swinging Skirts Golf Foundation, arguably one of the most ardent promoters of ladies golf, announced today that it has become the official title sponsor of the 2017 LPGA Taiwan Championship, the most established professional sporting event in Taiwan, as the USD 2.2 million annual golf extravaganza becomes officially known as the "Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship". The 2017 edition of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship is slated to take place between October 19 and 22 at the Miramar Golf & Country Club for four days of exciting 72-hole stroke-play, drawing the world's top women golfers to vie for the top honor and USD 330,000 in winner's prize money.
In 2011, Swinging Skirts made an impressive debut on the golf scene by single-handedly hosting the Swinging Skirts TLPGA Invitational in Taiwan, which was later expanded to become the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters. Between 2014 and 2016, as the timing was ripe, Swinging Skirts went on to become the title sponsor of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic held in San Francisco. By doing so, Swinging Skirts not only was able to reach out to the other side of the Pacific Ocean to put Taiwan on the map and shine a light on Taiwan's booming ladies golf, but also successfully built a bridge for citizen and sports diplomacy with extensive exchanges in golf as well as related art exhibitions.
Adhering to its original principle of promoting ladies golf, Swinging Skirts, laden with invaluable experiences accumulated from San Francisco, decided to return to Taiwan in hopes of injecting more renewed energy into golf in Taiwan. The move has been widely applauded and echoed by nearly one hundred fellow golf teams in Taiwan, as they all pledged to stand behind the tournament. Meanwhile, CTBC has also come aboard as the tournament presenting sponsor.
Lin, De-Fu, Director-General of the Sports Administration, Ministry of Education, stressed that "the LPGA Taiwan Championship has been the top sporting event in Taiwan in terms of the total prize money, world rankings of attending golfers as well as media attention and fan interest. After making a name for itself and Taiwan's ladies golf in the U.S. over the past three years, Swinging Skirts has decided to make a glorious return. On behalf of the Sports Administration, I welcome Swinging Skirts home and hope it can take the tournament to new heights!"
Swinging Skirts Golf Foundation chairman Johnson Wang indicated: "After the wonderful experience in San Francisco, we are still motivated and driven by our relentless passion for golf. As a result, we decided to come back and become the title sponsor of the most important golf event in Taiwan. This marks the seventh straight year in which Swinging Skirts has organized an international ladies golf tournament or become a title sponsor." Wang added, "the Swinging Skirts Golf Team has never forgotten how it started and what got us started, as our love and passion for golf and Taiwan remains unchanged. We hope fans can chip in and support this wonderful golf tournament, as we strive to reach the final-round attendance record of 28,000 fans set in the Hana Bank Championship."
Cheng, Mei-Chi, chairlady of Taiwan Professional Golf Association (TLPGA), said: " Frankly speaking, ladies golf in Taiwan may not be as prosperous as it is today without the contribution of Swinging Skirts. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderfully lovely and most passionate Swinging Skirts Golf Team members and chairman Wang. With your support, I think we have a very good chance of hosting an even better tournament this year."
According to organizers, the event co-sanctioned by both the LPGA and TLPGA will feature a field of 81 players, including the top 61 LPGA players based on the money ranking as of September 20, winner of the preceding LPGA event (Hana Bank Championship), 15 professional ladies golfers from Taiwan including the top 5 players from the prize money ranking of the TLPGA and the 5 highest-ranked overseas Taiwanese players, in addition to four sponsor invites.
Organizers also announced ticketing details for this year, with ticket prices significantly marked down in order to encourage more fans to show their support for their favorite players in person. Tickets for either of first two rounds sell for NTD300 each, while tickets for either of the two final rounds sell for NTD500. Tournament passes offering access to all four rounds can be purchased for NTD1,350 each. Organizers also provide 10% off discount for CTBC cardholders and members of EVA Air's Infinity MileageLands. In an attempt to encourage golf teams, companies and organizations to take part, organizers also provide discounts of up to 40% off for group tickets (not to be used in combination with other discounts). Tickets can be purchased via the ibon system.
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