SINGAPORE — The Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong course has long been regarded by top golfers as one of the world’s most challenging courses to play on.

But according to Lydia Ko and Park Inbee, the world’s top two women golfers, it is not the demanding par-72, 6,493-m course, but the unexpectedly strong winds that are being encountered on the greens that will make this week’s HSBC Women’s Champions one of the toughest tournaments in the event’s nine-year history.

Both golfers said at yesterday’s media conference that they have never experienced such strong winds in Singapore in all their years of competing at Serapong.

Said world No 2 Park after yesterday’s Pro-Am tournament: “Singapore’s golf courses never seem to be too wide, and maybe it’s because this is not a huge country. So the narrow fairways and tough greens makes (Serapong) a tough one.

“But the winds that we have experienced this week are obviously going to make things even tougher.

“Honestly, in the past six or seven years, I’ve never seen Singapore this windy. But the past three days have seen pretty consistent winds, and I am expecting winds for (the) next four days too.”

For golfers, when the winds are strong, golf scores typically go up as the conditions make it harder to swing the club. This means that golfers have to study the winds, and hit their balls with greater accuracy.

“Inbee obviously played it perfectly last year, bogey-free for 72 holes. I played solidly but she was phenomenal,” said world No 1 Ko, referring to Park’s winning display at last year’s tournament. “This year, it looks like it’s going to be a little breezier, so that’s going to play a huge factor.

“Like what Inbee said, you need to put yourself in good positions off the tee, because the greens are so big too. Even if you hit it on the green, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be an easy two-putt or a birdie.”

Perhaps the only woman out of the 63-women field whose game may not be too affected by the strong winds, is Singaporean Koh Sock Hwee, the Republic’s only representative in the tournament, which begins today.

The 26-year-old, who officially turned professional two weeks ago after finally raising enough money to pay the S$2,580 entry fee to join the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour, said one reason why she felt she “belonged” in the elite field is because she trains regularly at Serapong and knows the course “better than anyone else out there”.

When told of Koh’s newfound professional status, and asked what advice she had for her, Park replied: “She can now get to play her game at the highest level, but the most important thing is for her to enjoy the experience.

“It is easy to put a lot of stress on yourself when you turn professional, especially if this is something you have been wanting to do for a long time. I’d advise her not to be so focused on all the results, but to just try to play golf and keep her own life too.”

HSBC Women’s Champions

Date: 3-6 March

Venue: Serapong Course, Sentosa Golf Club

Tickets: http://www.sistic.com.sg/events/hsbc0316