Windy Shao

    windysjf@hotmail.com

    THIS week’s World Ladies Championship at Mission Hills Resort Dongguan will be the ideal warmup for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, China’s Lin Xiyu said at a pre-tournament news conference yesterday.

    Lin said: “This tournament is kind of similar to the Olympics because we are playing for ourselves but also as part of a team.”

    This is also the first time for Guangdong to host such an international event, after four years in Haikou, organizers said.

    A total of 126 competitors from 21 countries and regions will compete on the acclaimed Olazabal Course, a three-time venue for the Golf World Cup. It begins today and ends Sunday.

    That means there will be little advantage for world number 23 Ko Jin-young, who is making her debut. She will partner with Lee Jung-min in the team event, representing South Korea.

    Ko hopes to become the third straight South Korean winner of the individual title following the success of Park Inbee and So Yeon-ryu in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

    Ko said: “I’m really excited because it is my first time playing here and the Chinese people really like golf. It’s a little bit difficult because there are too many bunkers and the rough is a different grass to what I’m used to, so a little bit interesting, but I hope to win the tournament.”

    Denmark’s Nicole Broch Larsen said: “I’m not certain to play in Rio yet but every tournament is a great opportunity to get more world ranking points and this is a big event so hopefully I’ll play well.”

    Larsen won her maiden title at the 2015 Helsingborg Open.

    The other Olympic prospects in the field include Nanna Koerstz Madsen from Denmark, Gwladys Nocera from France, Marianne Skarpnord from Norway, Finnish pair Ursula Wikstrom and Noora Tamminen, Klara Spilkova from the Czech Republic, Christine Wolf from Austria and Maria Verchenova from Russia.