The LPGA Tour is in Japan this week for the Mizuno Classic where the local golfer Momoko Ueda will attempt to defend the title she won for the second occasion last year after a playoff with Chinese golfer Shanshan Feng.

The tournament completes a foru event swing through Malaysia, Korea, Chinese Taipei and now Japan.

Ueda also won the event in 2007 but her form since her victory last year has been disappointing having recorded only one top ten since.

Korean golfer JIyai Shin won the event in the previous two years and although her recent form has been below that she displayed earlier in the season she appears a better prospect than Ueda of continuing her success in the event.

Yani Tseng finished runner-up in 2010 and 5th in 2009 but did not play the tournament last year. Her recent comeback from a mid season slump has been encouraging and if this was to be the world number one’s first victory since the Kia Classic in March then it would be of no surprise.

Stacy Lewis, Nay Yeon Choi, Inbee Park and Shanshan Feng makeup a strong contingent from the game’s leading world ranked players although interestingly Suzann Pettersen, who has won each of the last two
LPGA Tour events in Korea and Chinese Taipei is not in the field.

Karrie Webb is the only Australian in the field and although she has played in only one of the three events to date in the Asian swing her 3rd place finish in Malaysia suggests she could win the event for the second occasion having won in 2006.

Webb has not won since March of 2011 but another win is not beyond her.