Women golfers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait gathered Wednesday at Tianjin Fortune Lake Golf Club for the 2026 Straits Cup Ladies Classic, marking a significant renewal of cross-Strait competition in women’s professional golf. The tournament, co-sanctioned by the China Ladies Professional Golf (CLPG) Tour and the Taiwan Ladies Professional Golfers’ Association (TLPGA), is being held in Tianjin for the first time in seven years, reviving a format intended to foster interaction and development between players from mainland China and Chinese Taipei.
The Straits Cup’s second edition follows the inaugural event last year in Xiamen, which was organized solely by the CLPG Tour. This year’s tournament features a field of 120 competitors, including 29 from Chinese Taipei, spanning a mix of emerging talents and established professionals. The event provides an opportunity for players to test their skills against differing styles of play and conditions, while renewing ties disrupted in recent years.
Among the notable participants is Phoebe Yao, a 33-year-old golfer who has rejoined the CLPG Tour after several years competing in Japan, where she won multiple times on the LPGA of Japan Tour. Yao described the experience as a blend of familiarity and new challenges, highlighting the distinct characteristics of the Tianjin Fortune Lake course. Designed by Australian golf legends Peter Thomson and Ross Perrett, the 6,604-yard, par-72 course features open fairways with few trees, undulating greens, deep bunkers, and cool-season grass, all of which present a unique test compared to other tours. Yao emphasized the difficulty of playing on the cool-season grass, which demands precise ball striking to maintain consistent distance control.
For Chen Chih-min, 29, the event marks her first professional tournament on the Chinese mainland. While she played amateur competitions in mainland China during her youth, turning professional in 2019 had not afforded her an earlier opportunity to participate on the CLPG Tour. After a practice round alongside Yao, Chen noted the technical challenges posed by the course’s layout, particularly the narrow landing areas on the par-5s and fast, break-heavy greens, factors that will require adjustments in her short game and putting.
Organizers view the Straits Cup as more than a competition; it represents a platform for exchange, mutual learning, and growth among players. Wei Qingfeng, secretary-general of the China Golf Association, emphasized the importance of such interaction for the advancement of competitive golf. Wei pointed to the longstanding history of cross-Strait engagements in golf, highlighting how players from Chinese Taipei have competed and found success on the CLPG Tour, while mainland golfers have increasingly gained experience on Asian and international circuits.
Echoing this sentiment, Huang Bie-shyun, chairwoman of the TLPGA, underscored the value of reviving the tournament as a means to rebuild cross-Strait connections. She expressed hopes that the Straits Cup will become an enduring fixture, facilitating ongoing exchanges that benefit players from both sides. Huang also noted the TLPGA’s recent efforts to expand international collaboration, including partnerships with the LPGA of Japan and upcoming co-sanctioned events with the Ladies European Tour. Additionally, the TLPGA has launched a development tour to nurture young and amateur talent.
Wei said there are ambitions to rotate the Straits Cup across different cities and courses in future editions, broadening player exposure and converting the event into a sustainable platform. He also envisaged eventual opportunities for mainland Chinese players to compete in Taiwan, promoting reciprocal interaction and deepening ties across the Strait.