Australia won the 2025 Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown in the Republic of Korea, beating the United States in the final on Sunday evening at New Korea Country Club.

The Australians clinched the title after Minjee Lee and Hannah Green won both of their singles matches 2 and 1, over Angel Yin and Yealimi Noh, respectively. The foursomes match between Australians Stephanie Kyriacou and Grace Kim and the American pair of Lilia Vu and Lauren Coughlin was made inconsequential when Green secured victory in the second singles match on the 17th hole.

After finishing runner-up to Thailand in 2023 at TPC Harding Park, it was a sweet victory for Australia indeed – especially for Lee, who was the only player in the field to have played in every International Crown and never been a member of the winning team.

Lee emerged from the week with a superb 4-0-1 record and was voted as the tournament MVP by a committee that included LPGA staff, Hanwha officials and external media.

“I'm really excited that we were able to win all together. I think it's even sweeter because I could do it with all these girls. Obviously, we all played with a lot of grit, and a lot of perseverance and resilience this week just to get into the final match. I think we did really well,” said Lee.

In the morning semifinals, Australia beat the World Team in a tight battle. After Green lost to Charley Hull and Lee defeated Brooke Henderson, the match came down to the foursomes.

Kyriacou and Kim fought back from two holes down at one stage to edge the World Team duo ofLydia Ko and Wei-Ling Hsu on the 20th hole.
The consolation match for third place, played concurrently with the final, saw the World Team beat Japan 2-1. The Japanese team of Ayaka Furue, Rio Takeda, Mao Saigo and Miyu Yamashita had earlier lost 1-2 to the United States in the semifinals.

The LPGA Tour will now head to Malaysia for the Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club from October 30-November 2, where China’s Ruoning Yin is the defending champion.

The Malaysian trio of Galven Green, Ervin Chang and Shahriffuddin Ariffin will be up against a star-studded field at the SJM Macao Open, which tees off tomorrow at the scenic and challenging Macau Golf & Country Club.

The US$1 million event features former world number one and 1999 champion Lee Westwood of England, two-time PGA Tour winner Sungjae Im from South Korea, defending champion Rattanon Wannasrichan of Thailand, Chinese number one Li Haotong, Hong Kong, China’s 2023 Asian Games gold medallist Taichi Kho, and 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner John Catlin of the United States.

The tournament is jointly organized by the Sports Bureau of the Macao SAR Government (MSB), title sponsor SJM Resorts, S.A. (SJM) and IMG, and is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Macau Golf Association.

Chang and Shahriffuddin will both be making their third successive starts in the event, with neither progressing to the weekend in the last two editions. Green, meanwhile, will be playing in Macao for the first time. Another Malaysian, Marcus Lim, had also qualified for the championship but opted to play in the ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A in the Philippines, as he focuses on his quest to finish in the top 10 of the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit and earn an Asian Tour card for 2026.

While Green has endured a lacklustre season, playing mainly on the ADT and the Malaysian domestic circuit, the 26-year-old is in high spirits. Coming off a solid T12 finish at the ADT’s Nam A Bank Vietnam Masters, Green is looking forward to taking on the tight and hilly Macau Golf & Country Club layout.

“I’m happy for sure with the Vietnam result, but it’s a new week and it’s golf, so I’m just going to take it step by step. The course is ⁠challenging. It’s a tough walking course, it’s tight and, when the wind picks up, I think it’s going to be a different ball game,” noted Green.

“This is my first time here in Macau and it’s very nice, actually – very Las Vegas-like!”

Chang is looking forward to a third title tilt at the event. The strapping 27-year-old is currently in 107th position on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, and will need a good run of results over the final stretch to keep his card for next season.

“It’s a great event. I like Macau, the scenery around the course, and the city itself is pretty amazing. Every year the course condition isn’t the same, so I’ll adjust my game plan accordingly to what I feel is needed. I’m just trying to play the best golf I can play, and do what I can with the remaining events,” said Chang.

Having played just three Asian Tour events this year, highlighted by a tied-fifth finish at the Mandiri Indonesia Open in August, Shahriffuddin is in 113th spot on the Asian Tour Order of Merit. He has enjoyed a fair measure of success this season on the ADT and is placed 13th on the developmental circuit’s season ranking.

“I’ll just focus on each shot and try to minimise my mistakes, as Macau Golf & Country Club is a challenging course. My form has been up and down this year and I have to be more consistent, and not place too much pressure on myself,” said Shahriffuddin, who is a two-time winner on the ADT.

“I’ve made some changes to my pre-shot routine, which hopefully will help me achieve my target of winning one tournament this year and finishing in the top five consistently,” added the 26-year-old.

For the first time on the Asian Tour, fans will be able to track their favourite players with the Player Locator. By scanning QR codes at various locations around the course, visitors can access the SJM Macao Open 2025 interactive map to follow the action in real time.

In alignment with SJM’s commitment to the community, admission to the SJM Macao Open 2025 is free. Fans are encouraged to register in advance, with each person able to request up to four complimentary tickets. For more information and to secure your tickets, please visit www.sjmmacaoopen.com

 The Malaysian trio of Galven Green, Ervin Chang and Shahriffuddin Ariffin will be up against a star-studded field at the SJM Macao Open, which tees off tomorrow at the scenic and challenging Macau Golf & Country Club.

Malaysia’s Ervin Chang turned on the style in the closing round of the SJM Macao Open, carding a five-under-par 65 to finish tied for tenth in the US$1 million Asian Tour event.

Chang was in scintillating form at the demanding Macau Golf & Country Club, handling the windy conditions with aplomb as he nailed six birdies against a solitary bogey. The 27-year-old finished with a 72-hole total of 10-under-par 270 (69-66-70-65) to record his best finish on this year’s Asian Tour.

“I struck the ball really well today, and made more putts today compared to the previous rounds. This is my best finish on the Asian Tour this year so far and, overall, I feel quite comfortable with my game,” said Chang, who picked up a cheque for US$15,268.75.

The top-10 finish catapulted Chang into 78th spot on the Asian Tour Order of Merit from his pre-event 107th position, which will help him get more tournament starts in the crucial final stretch of the 2025 season.

“I tried not to think too much about the Order of Merit today, just because it can really change the game plan, can really change a lot of things out there. But it definitely feels good and hopefully this top-10 finish will give me a better chance to get into more events in the future,” added the 2023 recipient of the Asian Tour’s Kyi Hla Han Future Champions Award.

Fellow Malaysian Shahriffuddin Ariffin carded a closing 69 for a tied 34th finish on six-under-par 274(68-68-69-69) in his fourth Asian Tour start of the year. Despite playing the final nine holes in one-over par, the 26-year-old golfer from Melaka wassatisfied with his overall performance and how he handled himself over the four days.

"I could have finished better, but I'm still proud of how I performed overall this week. My game was solid and mentally I was in a good place, which is really important on a tough golf course and in testing conditions like this,” said Shahriffuddin, who has won twice on the Asian Development Tour.

The tournament was won by Germany’s Dominic Foos in a playoff over Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wei hsuan. Wang had shot a stunning final round of eight-under-par 62 for a total of 17-under-par 263, which was matched by Foos who closed with an equally impressive 63. The SJM Macao Open is jointly organized by the Sports Bureau of the Macao SAR Government (MSB), title sponsor SJM Resorts, S.A. (SJM) and IMG, and is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Macau Golf Association.

For the first time on the Asian Tour, fans were able to track their favourite players with the Player Locator. By scanning QR codes at various locations around the course, visitors could access the SJM Macao Open 2025 interactive map to follow the action in real time.

In alignment with SJM’s commitment to the community, admission to the SJM Macao Open 2025 was free.

For more information, please visit www.sjmmacaoopen.com.

Malaysia’s golf history-maker Ng Jing Xuen and rising talent Jocelyn Chee are ready to test themselves at the Women’s China Open in Shanghai from October 17-19 with the ultimate dream of competing on the big stage in the future.

Both players harbour ambitions of playing on the LPGA Tour and know international exposure on burgeoning professional circuits like the China LPGA Tour is key to achieving that goal.

The 17-year-old Jing Xuen, who became the first Malaysian female golfer to win an individual SEA Games gold medal in 2023, has made an encouraging start to her professional career. After finishing second at Qualifying School, she has notched two top-20s and a first top-10 finish in China. Her transition to the paid ranks follows a decorated amateur career that produced six World Amateur Golf Ranking wins.

“It’s a stepping stone. These tours are really competitive, and it’s a great place to improve before aiming for the Ladies European Tour or LPGA Tour,” said Jing Xuen, who also has the Olympic Games firmly on her radar.

With Thailand’s current World No.1 Jeeno Thitikul being her inspiration, Jing Xuen is mapping out a patient path forward to emulate her fellow Southeast Asian competitor who is a multiple winner on the LPGA Tour. “I’ll focus on the China LPG Tour for a couple of years, then target the Australian circuit to build my ranking before trying Q-School in the U.S. When I feel ready, I’ll give it a shot,” she said.

“Jeeno also won the SEA Games gold medal and she’s a really good player. The way she talks and everything, she’s really positive.”

Jocelyn, 25, will fly into Shanghai with renewed confidence after capturing her second professional title on the Malaysian circuit in Malacca last month. She has made five cuts in seven starts in China this season and is aiming for a stellar run at the Women’s China Open, which will see China’s Ji Yuai defending the title at Enhance Anting Golf Club.

“The China LPG Tour has strong players. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to play with golfers with far more experience, and it has helped me grow. They have a better structure to grow, and it’s not just about hitting golf balls. They focus on fitness, they practice in a certain way, they have coaches around them, a team that is pushing them. I’m trying to build my own team too,” she said.

Like Jing Xuen, Jocelyn sees competing abroad as essential in her chase for more success on golf’s biggest stage, including the LPGA Tour.
“We’re lucky to have the Malaysian tour, but to grow we must step out of our comfort zone. Playing in China gives us the chance to test ourselves against stronger players,” she said.

She also values the support of her compatriots, including Aretha Pan and Winnie Ng, who are regulars on the China LPG Tour. “There’s healthy competition among us Malaysians. We want to beat each other, but at the same time we’re rooting for one another,” she said.

The Women’s China Open, launched in 2006, is the flagship event of the China LPG Tour and boasts an illustrious roll of honour featuring Korean stars, former World No.1 Jiyai Shin and Sung-hyun Park, Kim Hyo-joo. China’s leading stars including Feng Shanshan, Janet Lin Xiyu and Yin Ruoning have featured in previous Women’s China Opens before achieving success globally.

Chee said: “It’s an honour to play in the Women’s China Open. As the national championship, it’s the most important event on the Tour. I know how big this tournament is, and it’s going to be great.”

For more information about the Women’s China Open, please visit www.clpga.org