Swinging Skirts LPGA Championship will raise Taiwan’s global profile while promoting exchanges between the local golfing community and its counterparts around the world, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Tawei Lee said Oct. 17 in Taipei City.
Staging events like the championship is an effective form of sports diplomacy and the best conduit for creating borderless friendships, Lee said. It is also a central plank in the government’s policy of showcasing Taiwan’s soft power on the international stage, he added.
According to Lee, Swinging Skirts will keep the global spotlight focused on Taiwan following its hosting in August of the Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade. The success of such events is a credit to the nation and underscores the value of Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ efforts assisting local governments and private sector organizations bring high-profile sporting contests to Taiwan, he said.
The minister made the remarks during a dinner banquet for the more than 80 female golfers from home and abroad set to battle it out Oct. 19-22 at Miramar Golf Country Club in New Taipei City for a share of the championship’s US$2.2 million in prize money. Other attendees included Office of the President Secretary-General Joseph Wu, legislators and members of the Taiwan-based diplomatic corps.
According to tournament co-organizer Swinging Skirts Foundation, the lineup for this championship features big-name stars like world No. 1 Ryu So-yeon from South Korea, two-time winner Lydia Ko from New Zealand and Cristie Kerr from the U.S., as well as local talents such as Candie Kung, Yani Tseng and 13-year-old phenom Wu Chia-yen.
The inaugural championship took place in 2011 in New Taipei as Swinging Skirts Taiwan LPGA Invitational and was renamed to World Swinging Skirts Ladies Masters the following year. The event returns to Taiwan after three consecutive editions at Lake Merced Golf Club in northern California. (SFC-E)
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