KITTIPONG THONGSOMBAT

Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa and newly-crowned World Championship winner Paula Creamer will lead the star-studded 2009 Honda LPGA Thailand.

Lorena Ochoa

The third edition of Thailand's premier women's golf event will be held at Siam Country Club in Pattaya from February 26-March 1.

The tournament, which offers a total purse of US$1.45m, features the top 50 LPGA players plus 10 invites with Thai star Virada Nirapathpongporn among them.

Mexico's Ochoa, who will make her debut in Thailand, has won seven titles this year to push her career wins to 24.

World number three Creamer claimed her fourth victory this year at the Samsung World Championship on Sunday.

The 22-year-old American, who has won eight tournaments on the Tour, will appear in her second Honda tournament after finishing third last year.

Dubbed the "Pink Panther," Creamer was a crowd puller in the 2007 tournament won by Suzann Petterson who has not yet confirmed her defence of the title.

"Honda is delighted to confirm the participation of two of the world's leading female golfers - Lorena Ochoa and Paula Creamer," said Kenji Otaka, president of Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co, Ltd.

"I am sure that fans will enjoy watching a four-day, world-class golf tournament."

Apart from the prize money, Otaka said any player who makes a hole-in-one will receive a Honda Accord worth 1.5 million baht.

Surang Prempree, managing director of Channel 7 which is the tournament's promoter, said Virada would be one of the 10 invites with the other nine to be determined later.

She said the tournament, which was launched in 2006, would help boost the country's tourism and that there were some 25,000 spectators at last year's tournament at the same venue.

"Such a world-class tournament will help promote Pattaya's and Thailand's tourism," Surang said.

She said the third editon had been moved from this year to next year to avoid rainy season and this would be ideal for fans and tourists.