ZHUHAI, China, March 20 -- A top field of 120 players is in southern Guangdong province this week as the China LPGA Tour tees off its 16th season with the Hengqin Phoenix Tree Building Orient Golf Challenge starting on Thursday.
With a prize purse of 500,000 RMB on offer at the first regular tournament of the year, the players, who come from 11 countries and regions, have much to shoot for as they look to advance their pro careers.
A minimum of 15 CLPGA Tour tournaments will be staged this season, many of them co-sanctioned with such organizations as the Ladies European Tour, Thai LPGA Tour, Australia LPG Tour and the Ladies Asian Golf Tour, among others.
In addition, there is a China sectional qualifier in May for the US Women's Open. All tournaments offer valuable Rolex world ranking points for the players to gauge their standing in world golf.
The season concludes with the 13th edition of the Women's China Open in December.
Chonlada Chayanun goes into this week as the defending champion as last year the big-hitting Thai snared her maiden pro win when she made birdie on the first hole of sudden-death to quickly end a five-player playoff.
The 26-year-old Nakhon Ratchasima province native leads a strong group of 32 Thais in Zhuhai that includes Yupaporn Kawinpakorn and Thanutra Boonraksasat, both winners on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour this season.
Fellow Thai Chakansim Khamborn currently leads the LPGT Order of Merit and is also playing this week.
"This time I am going to be more nervous. Last year I didn't expect anything but this year there are more expectations. This year I just want to do it better, which I don't know if I can because the conditions are not that easy either," said third-year pro Chonlada after her practice round on Wednesday.
The Iowa State graduate also won the CTBC Ladies Open in September and said she had been playing pretty well since last year.
"It's my overall game that is improving," she said. "It's like everything combined together, more game and mental things like that. I play a lot of tournaments and that helps me because you can focus more and you face and experience so many things. That helps you to grow up in golf more."
Shi Yuting leads a strong local charge; the Beijing native won the tournament in 2016 for her first pro title.
Other top Chinese players looking to contend this week include Zhang Weiwei, the 2017 winner, rising star Liu Wenbo who posted three top-three or better finishes last year as a rookie pro, and veteran Yang Taoli, the former CLPGA Tour Order of Merit winner who is on the comeback trail.
Deng Jingfan is notable among the seven amateurs playing as the 16-year-old got into the field with CLPGA member Weng Liting through Monday Qualifying.
Much is expected of teenager Deng as she received a full scholarship from the University of Washington as a 14-year-old and will play for the Seattle-based school starting in 2020.
Last year she played in three CLPGA Tour tournaments.
"The first pro tournament I played was in 2017. The first two I played I was very nervous, my hands were shaking, but then last year I think I became a lot more experienced and calmed my nerves a lot and I haven't been as nervous. It's a great learning opportunity and I've grown a lot through this game," said the Shanghai native, who plans to play in China as much as possible before starting university.
"I've been working hard on all aspects of my game. After playing in pro tournaments I see the biggest weakness is my short game. I have been working on my putting and chipping and trying to maintain my swing. To make birdie, to save pars, it's all in the chipping and putting and I've learned that mostly from the CLPGA tournaments I've played."