Top Star Golfers Tee Off at Buick LPGA Shanghai

The 2026 Buick LPGA Shanghai teed off at Sheshan International Golf Club in suburban Songjiang District on Thursday. It has attracted 81 of the world's top women golfers from 17 countries and regions.

Defending champion Jeeno Thitikul from Thailand and local favorite Yin Ruoning are joined by familiar names such as Kim Sei-young from South Korea and France's Celine Boutier – both major champions.

Yin won the Shanghai event in 2024. She led the Chinese national golf team to a historic breakthrough at the Asian Games, which concluded in Nagoya, Japan, earlier this month. Partnering with Liu Yan and Zhang Weiwei, they won the women's team gold medal. Yin also claimed an individual silver medal.

"Every time I return to Shanghai, I look forward to putting on a strong performance in front of the home crowd," said Yin. "Sheshan is a very challenging course. A lot of the par-4s play extremely long and are very difficult, and the greens are quite small, so how you attack the greens is crucial."

Kim has competed in each of the past five editions of the Buick LPGA Shanghai.

"Shanghai is very close to Korea and easy to travel to. The weather is also good, so I put this tournament on my schedule every year," she said.

Boutier ended her title drought this season by winning her seventh LPGA title.

"Many excellent young players are emerging on tour now, and they bring a lot of challenges. I look forward to playing this week's tournament in my best form," she said.

World No. 2 Thitikul, in addition to defending her title, has another goal in Shanghai.

"One of my goals this week is to taste all kinds of Chinese food, because I really love Chinese cuisine," the Thai noted.

Tickets are available at www.damai.cn.

If you go

Venue: Sheshan International Golf Club 佘山国际高尔夫俱乐部

Address: 288 Linyinxin Road, Songjiang District 松江区林荫新路288弄