Jakarta, Indonesia: The Simone Asia Pacific Cup will make a welcome return to Indonesia for its second edition from December 22-24 this year, following a successful debut on the Ladies Asian Tour (LAT) Series last August.

The tournament venue and the prize fund will be announced in due course, but talks are on-going for Jakarta’s Pondok Indah Golf Club to return as the host for the second year running.

The inaugural edition in 2022 offered total prize money of US$750,000, positioning itself as one of the most lucrative women’s tournaments in the Southeast Asian region.

Held as a 54-hole stroke play event with no cut, the Simone Asia Pacific Cup featured a unique format where players competed for both individual and team glory.

Last year’s event was contested by 44 players from 16 countries – Korea, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, India, Australia, Vietnam, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, China, Chinese Taipei, Myanmar, Hong Kong and the United States.

It starred some of the world’s best players including New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, Korean duo Ryu So-yeon and Kim Hyo-joo and Japan's Hinako Shibuno, all Major winners.

However, it was Princess Mary Superal of the Philippines who stole the thunder when she upstaged her more illustrious rivals to claim the individual title, winning by three shots from former US Women’s Open winner Ryu.

Ryu still had a reason to celebrate as she partnered Lee Bo-mee to come out tops in the team competition.

Paul Park, Secretary General of the Asia Golf Leaders Forum, said: “Following the successful staging of the maiden Simone Asia Pacific Cup last year, we believe that everyone will be looking forward to the second edition this year.

“We would like to thank Simone for their continuous support and making this event possible.

“What could have been a better storyline than Princess Mary overcoming a host of heavyweights to become the inaugural winner? I have no doubt that another great battle with plenty of drama is on the cards come December.”

The LAT Series is a group of ladies professional golf tournaments in Asia for female Asian golfers created by a coalition among sanctioning bodies in the region.

The purpose of the LAT Series is to create Asia’s own series by not interfering with sanctioning bodies in this region, but by promoting women’s golf at a more competitive level in order to secure more fans.