【Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship 2017】 Rolex Rankings No. 1 player So Y
(Oct. 17, 2017, Taipei) Organizes of the 2017 Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship, the most prestigious golf tournament in Taiwan slated to tee off this Thursday at Miramar Golf Country Club, not only rolled out the red carpet for Rolex Rankings No. 1 player So Yeon Ryu of South Korea, but also treated her to a ride on the state-of-the-art Taoyuan MRT from the Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 2 station to the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Station, where Ryu literally walked out of the MRT station to check into her hotel.
Ryu, who was greeted at the airport by Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng, Wen-Tsang, Taoyuan Airport MRT chairman Liu, Kun-I, Deputy Director General Fang, Rui-Wen, Department of Sport, Taoyuan and Swinging Skirts Golf Foundation chairman Johnson Wang, said she was very impressed with the high-tech facilities such as digital mirrors, free WiFi and wireless mobile phone charging as well as the smooth and quick ride. The 27-year-old Ryu revealed she still takes the subway in Korea, "because it's fast and convenient and people don't necessarily recognize me if I take off my hat and wear normal outfit."
Mayor Cheng indicated that he believed "the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship will definitely help improve the overall level of golf in Taiwan, while raising Taiwan's international profile. I am also blown away by Ms Ryu's achievements in golf. She really rocks!"
Chairman Liu added that Taoyuan MRT, which boasts one of the steepest slope (5%) among airport MRT systems in the world, is pleased to be partnering with Swinging Skirts as the primary color of its key visuals happens to be purple, which coincides with that of the tournament.
"This year marks the first time that we are going digital with ticketing as we try to integrate this tournament with metropolitan marketing," said Johnson Wang. As a matter of fact, organizers have teamed up with the Taoyuan City government to issue limited-edition MRT EZ Cards featuring Ryu's photograph on the cover, which also double as tournament VIP access badges.
"I feel so honored to have my picture on the MRT card," said Ryu, who said she is very excited about playing in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship because "chairman Wang and Swinging Skirts have been so gracious and hospitable and I had great memories from competing in (the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic) San Francisco. I really feel at home with Swinging Skirts."
Having sat atop women's golf rankings since June 26, 2017, Ryu was momentarily in danger of losing her no. 1 title to Rolex Rankings no. 2 compatriot Sung Hyun Park, who is also competing in Taiwan this week, had Park gone on to lift the trophy at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship last week. Luckily for Ryu, Park came up short and had to settle for second. "What happened over last weekend was out of my hands. All I can do is try to play as well as I can and I will definitely try to win here this week and make the most of what's left of the season," said Ryu. ### Swinging Skirts Golf Foundation Swinging Skirts is a non-profit organization based in Taiwan, composed of amateur players and golf lovers who committed to grow women’s golf around the world. In 2011, Swinging Skirts made an impressive debut on the golf scene by single-handedly hosting the Swinging Skirts TLPGA Invitational in Taiwan. Between 2014 and 2016, Swinging Skirts become the title sponsor of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic held in San Francisco.
