Aiming high on Hainan's fairways

With order of merit leader Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong skipping the event and No 2 Zeng Liqi in the US attempting to earn an LPGA Tour card, Ji Yuai and Sui Xiang both have a chance to vault to the top of the money list with victory this weekend.

Ji, currently third on the money list, arrives in Hainan on the back of a strong rookie season. The 18-year-old finished runner-up in both Beijing and Singapore and was seventh at last month's Zhangjiagang Shuangshan Challenge.

The teenager expressed her gratitude to the China Golf Association for its organization of all the junior events she participated in as an amateur, which she believes helped with her successful step-up to the pro ranks.

"I would be really happy if I can pick up my maiden pro win at the (CGA's) namesake championship," said Ji, who hails from Dalian, Liaoning province. "The US LPGA has been my long-term goal since I was a little child. But any long and ambitious journey can be covered only by taking one step at a time. I need to capture my first win, and then the CLPGA money title, before chasing my dream on the US LPGA Tour."

Sui, who captured her second CLPGA Tour win at the Tianjin Ladies Challenge in April, is coming off a runner-up finish in Zhangjiagang where she was a stroke behind surprise winner Tan Lingling. Sui is currently fourth on the money list.

"The money title is the most coveted feather in the cap for all players on this tour. I have thought about it more than once, but I don't want to think about it too much," said the Guangdong native. "I have never been good at setting a long-term goal. One after one short objective suits me better. Hopefully my mind can stay focused on the here and now, do everything right with my hands and play my best."

This week's tournament has a distinct Australian flavor as Mission Hill's Sandbelt Trails, a 6,317-yard (5,776-meter), par-72 layout, was built in a style inspired by that country's famed Sandbelt, home to such courses as Kingston Heath and Royal Melbourne.

The Schmidt-Curley design features large bunkers dominated by high sand flashes, large greens with plenty of undulation and square tee boxes. The gently rolling terrain can be wide in spots allowing for many different angles of attack to the greens.

"This kind of grass is different from what I play week in, week out," said Sui. "The green speed is different, too. The wind might be another factor this week."