Defending Champion Marianne Skarpnord and Korean Ayean Cho will be two of the players to watch when the Geoff King Motors Australian Ladies Classic – Bonville Gets underway on Thursday at the Bonville Golf Resort.
Skarpnord is back to defend the crown she won in a thriller in 2019 by two shots from the courageous Spaniard Nuria Iturioz and Australian Hannah Green.
Cho, at number 34, is the highest-ranked player in a field which includes no less than 26 former winners on the Ladies European Tour.
Former Women’s Amateur world number one, Leona Maguire of Ireland, the legendary Dame Laura Davies, and 2019 LET order of Merit winner Esther Henseleit of Germany will also attract plenty of interest from fans of the sport.
The classic is a truly international affair with athletes from 34 countries competing this year. Although dominated by the number of Australian entries, England, Germany, Spain, the United States and France will also have a significant presence at Bonville.
In a first for the tournament, players from Nigeria, Russia, the Cook Islands and Swaziland will compete.
Graeme Phillipson, General Manager of Golf – Golf NSW said the field was outstanding, highlighted by the presence of Cho, and the return of several overseas stars.
“To have a player of Cho decide to compete at Bonville is a good sign for the future of the tournament.
“Christina Kim has decided to return after taking part in the inaugural tournament in 2018.
“She couldn’t speak highly enough of her first experience of the Coffs Coast region and the fantastic Bonville course, so it’s great to see her return,” he said.
In addition to the established stars, several of NSW’s highly talented female amateurs are back to test themselves against the Europeans.
“Doey Choi ran 4th here last year in a sensational effort, and could easily repeat that result, while Grace Kim will be looking for a good finish before she heads off to the United States for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.”