Annika Sorenstam (AFP)
Seven of the world's top 10 women golfers will make the trip to Singapore for the Lexus Cup this month, organisers said Thursday, but top-ranked Lorena Ochoa is not among them.
World number three Annika Sorenstam captains the international team in one of her final appearances before she retires, determined to wrest the trophy back from Team Asia, which is skippered by Korean trailblazer Pak Se-Ri.
Joining Sorenstam will be fellow Scandinavian and world number four Suzann Pettersen, American fifth-ranked Paula Creamer and the experienced Cristie Kerr, Angela Stanford and Karen Stupples.
Newcomers include Swedish veteran Helen Alfredsson who is in the form of her life, riding high as world number seven, as well as Australia's Katherine Hull.
"Helen will be a great addition to Team International this year and is having a remarkable season with a couple of great victories along with Suzann Pettersen of Norway," said Sorenstam.
"This shows the strength of golf in our region and I know Team International will be left in good hands with this dearth of talent when I step away from my professional career."
Topping the bill for Team Asia is rookie sensation and world number two Tseng Yani from Taiwan.
A further four Lexus Cup rookies join the line-up after successful seasons, including Park In-Bee, Choi Na-Yeon, Ji Eun-Hee and Kim Song-Hee, all from South Korea.
Candie Kung, Jang Jeong and Lee Seon-Hwa take the remaining qualifying spots.
"We are going to have a mix of youth and experience on my team this year and I am really excited to see how we will perform at the Singapore Island Country Club," said Pak.
"The young girls have all had very strong seasons and we have a lot of champions on our side and this confidence will be a great boost to the team."
The leading four Asian and international players from the ADT Official Money List automatically qualify for each team, followed by the top four Asian and international players from the World Golf Rankings.
The final four players consist of two captain's picks and two sponsor's exemptions, which have yet to be announced.
The tournament is played from November 28-30.
© 2008 AFP/sid
