Mr. Pitak Pruittisarikorn, Chief Operating Officer of Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd. said, "The LPGA tournament in Thailand has become an exciting and important annual event that ignites passion for golf and encourages young golfers to pursue their dreams on green. As a company that strongly advocates the power of dreams, we would like to emphasize yet again the significance of self-confidence and motivation. The women who are joining this tournament are perfect examples of individuals who never stop chasing their dreams and become successful. Spectators will witness a series of spectacular shots as well as the emergence of new faces with amazing playing skills during the upcoming competition.
"The Honda LPGA THAILAND 2018 prize purse is US$ 1.6 million, which is approximately 57 million baht. Our strong partnerships with IMG and LPGA will enable us to continue building the tournament as we continue use our tournament as a world-class platform to provide as many playing opportunities to the Thai players. We have seen great results from twelve years ago where we had zero Thai players playing on the LPGA tour and now we have fourteen players playing on the best tour in the world. This is a great achievement and we want to continue to play our part in the development of golf, especially in bringing young golfers to play in international tournament."
Next year marks the 12th anniversary of the LPGA THAILAND tournament, which started in 2006. Since then, the event has welcomed a number of high profile and rising female golfers from across the globe, and become one of the most highly regarded institutions of its kind. As part of the celebration, the "Dare to Dream" theme is meant to inspire pro golfers, golf enthusiasts, as well as juniors and promising amateurs from around the world who are working hard to achieve their goals.
In addition to promoting golfer development, the Honda LPGA Thailand has played an important role in putting Thailand on the world map as the golf destination and the country to visit. Friendly people, warm hospitality and comprehensive facilities make Thailand the dream destination for both golfers and tourists. Honda LPGA Thailand therefore significantly contributes to the country's economic growth and tourism industry development, which also corresponds to the government policy to promote sports tourism.
The event will be telecast live for more than 200 hours, across more than 150 territories in major cities around the world reaching to more 550 million households. The tournament is aligning with MCOT, who will take over as the Official Host Broadcaster to televise the event and make it accessible to all Thais who want to catch the tournament on screen.
Mr. Kematat Paladesh, President, MCOT Public Company Limited said, "MCOT is glad to be the official host broadcaster, the only free TV company to own this right. During the tournament, viewers can watch this exciting sports event on 9 MCOT HD on Channel No. 30. This cooperation with Honda Automobile (Thailand) and IMG brings our commitment to delivering good sport content to life. We believe that our comprehensive media channels, including television, radio and online, will provide greater convenience for viewers to have equal access to Honda LPGA Thailand 2018 and enable the viewers to be inspired by the "Dare to Dream" concept of the sports event."
Mr. Grant Slack, Senior Vice President, IMG Events said: "Thanks to the long-term support of Honda, the Honda LPGA THAILAND has become the flagship LPGA tournament in Asia. Over the past 12 years, we have grown the tournament to attract top players to Thailand, while also nurturing the next generation of Thai golfers. With strong partners such as Honda and Siam Country Club, we were able to embark on multi-year improvements to the tournament, both on the golf course and off. Further, with MCOT's support in TV broadcast nationwide in 2018, the Dare to Dream theme will be able to reach millions of households across Thailand, inspiring Thais to dream big and to chase their aspirations."
With the tournament returning and firmly anchored at one of the best golf courses in Thailand, Siam Country Club Pattaya, Old Course remains as one of the favourite golf courses with the LPGA players.
Fans and spectators can expect more on-course and off-course activities, with improved offerings such as plenty of catering options and interactive activities, which will create a better experience for the fans and families.
Set to become one of the biggest events of the season, many expect that the Honda LPGA THAILAND 2018 event will help solidify Thailand's position as one of the world's most attractive golf destinations and position Honda LPGA THAILAND as a must-visit, world-class LPGA event.
Ariya "May" Jutanugarn and Moriya "Mo" Jutanugarn are the tournament's local heroes whose fans will no doubt be watching closely and supporting. Ariya, who is currently ranked number five in the world, has participated in the Honda LPGA Thailand on nine occasions since 2007 when she was only an 11-year-old amateur player.
Ariya and her older sibling Moriya share the same dream and said in a joint statement, "It's great to be back again at the Honda LPGA THAILAND. This place is home to us and the tournament has empowered so many female golfers in so many ways. We grew up with this event and have learned a lot about ourselves and our game of golf from the opportunities we were given at Honda LPGA THAILAND. We're looking forward to playing against the best in the world again and receiving good support from Thai fans as always."
Partners and sponsors are integral to the success of the tournament and include Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Siam Country Club Pattaya, MCOT, Betagro, Siam Daikin Sales, Siam GS Sales, Aero Media Group, Pepsi-Cola (Thai) Trading, Diageo Moet Hennessy (Thailand), Boon Rawd Brewery, Under Armour (Thailand) and the Thailand Ladies Golf Association.