'Promised land' beckoning Zhang

Homegrown hopes are high for the three-day Zhuhai Hengqin Phoenix Tree Building Challenge as the China LPGA Tour continues on Thursday in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

With a purse of 500,000 yuan ($73,000), the tournament has attracted top names from the Chinese mainland, Macao and Chinese Taipei to the Orient Golf Course, along with a strong contingent of international challengers from South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Germany and Switzerland.

Zhang Weiwei, who placed third on the 2016 CLPGA order of merit, is gunning for her first tour title. The 20-year-old refers to Zhuhai as her "promised land" after finishing in the top three here in 2015 and 2016.

"The putting greens are not so complicated for me as long as I hit well off the tee," Zhang said. "I won't think too much about the rankings; just try to make every stroke count.

"Hopefully I can get a good finish."

Li Jiayun, who tied for 27th and was China's top finisher at last week's World Ladies Championship in Shenzhen, is confident of a higher placing in Zhuhai.

"I'm well warmed up for this tournament. I went to the United States for training early this year and performed well at the World Ladies Championship.

"The Orient Golf Course is demanding on players' accuracy and stability, which are my strengths."

Sui Xiang is also looking forward to an impressive showing in Zhuhai.

The 18-year-old turned professional earlier this year. She was the top amateur and runner-up to Li at the Le Coq Sportif Beijing Ladies Classic last May.

xujingxi@chinadaily.com.cn