Singapore, May 23 : Indian professionals Hitaashee Bakshi and Seher Atwal will tee up at the 2024 Singapore Ladies Masters, which will make its much-awaited return to the Laguna National Golf Resort Club in June. The duo will be part of the field of 132 players, including 12 elite amateurs vying for top honours in the China Ladies Professional Golf Association (CLPGA) event. The Singapore Ladies Masters is scheduled to tee off at the Masters course from June 14-16.

Hitaashee Bakshi and Seher Atwal will be joined by teen amateur Mehreen Bhatia, a much-decorated junior. Hitaashee is a multiple winner on the Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour and is also playing on the Thai LPGA, where she topped the Qualifying School this year. Seher is a multiple winner on the domestic WPGT and has also been playing on the Ladies European Tour. This is her second appearance at the Singapore Ladies Masters.

Mahreen, a silver medallist at the US Kids World Teen Championships in 2023, was also a medallist at the US Kids European event. She also won the Dubai Faldo Junior Middle East Championships in 2023 and in November last year, she added the Faldo Abu Dhabi event title.

The Singapore Ladies Masters will be the sixth leg of this season's CLPGA Tour and carries a prize purse of US$100,000, where the winner will receive a US$15,000 prize cheque.

At the inaugural Singapore Ladies Masters last July, Singapore's amateur standout Shannon Tan delighted the home crowd by outshining her seasoned professional counterparts to claim the championship.

With the tournament offering valuable Women's World Golf Rankings points, Shannon, who transitioned to professional status in January 2024, gained a crucial advantage in her quest to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

Following her breakthrough victory, Shannon's career has seen a remarkable trajectory, highlighted by her recent triumph at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open in February, where she secured her maiden Ladies European Tour (LET) title.

Lyn Yeo, tournament organiser and founder of LLD Sports said: 'The Singapore Ladies Masters was the launch pad for Shannon Tan as she deservedly went on to make a further impact on the international stage, especially with her win at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open.

As we look forward to the return of the Singapore Ladies Masters in June, I'm excited to give our local girls and many others from other countries like India a chance to test themselves and unleash their full potential against some of the best players from China and the region.'

Apart from the top stars, entries have been given to a lot of promising stars, and invitations were sent out to various Asian countries to send some players. The top 60 finishers (including ties) in the first two rounds will advance to the final round on Sunday.

Exemptions have also been granted to leading players from the recently concluded Asia-Pacific Amateur Ladies Golf Team Championship, also known as the Queen Sirikit Cup.

Marina Bay Sands and CarTimes Group will return as Official Partners of the Singapore Ladies Masters while further details on other players and sponsors will be announced soon.

/IANS