Joey looking composed with a one-stroke advantage

Singapore, 20 January 2010 - The 2009 Host Country Invite, Joey Poh sits atop the leader board after day one of the HSBC Women's Champions Local Qualifying tournament at the Tanah Merah Country Club (TMCC) after a round of 77.

Poh explained, "I didn't have a great start to the day; I was a little worried but once I got my focus it got better from there. My dad told me last night that I just had to concentrate on one hole at a time so that is what I did."

Three over on the front nine with a birdie on the ninth hole, the 16 year old who has a handicap of 0.3 played two over on the back nine with a birdie on the 11th.

She continued, "I felt comfortable out there today with the club caddie and the course. I am used to it now and after playing under pressure last year at the HSBC Women's Champions, I don't feel the pressure anymore. I am aiming to get more birdies tomorrow as I missed a few chances today."

Poh who is a member of the HSBC Youth Golf Excellence Programme, is one shot ahead of Ji Jiali who came back from five over after 10 holes to shoot a round of 78. One shot further behind on 79 is Stephanie Loi who is taking part in the tournament for the third time.

Both Ji and Loi are happy with their performance today and are looking forward to seeing how it shapes up on the final day.

Ji said, "My coach Greg kept me focused out there today. I could not find the greens on the first 10 holes but on the back nine, it started to come together and I am happy overall. I was a bit nervous at the start as I placed high expectations on myself, so tomorrow I will be more focused and have the confidence to play well."

Loi will have friend and recent Asian Tour Qualifier, Quincy Quek on her bag tomorrow which she thinks will help keep her focused.

"With Quincy caddying for me, I know he will be able to help me concentrate better and find the best ball placements and hopefully get more birdies. I have not been playing much recently so I felt tired on the back nine and stamina will play an important part tomorrow," said Loi.

The youngest entrant in the field, 10 year old Amanda Tan had a tough day on the Garden Course with a round of 89 but she had a good time playing with her peers.

She explained, "My putting and chipping were quite bad today but this was my first time playing on the Garden Course. The greens are bigger than I am used to but I did not feel nervous, I was quite relaxed and enjoyed playing with Amelia and Sok Hwee.

The 11 hopefuls will tee off tomorrow from 8.00am with the winner being announced at the end of play.

The player with the lowest score after two rounds will take the Local Host Country Invite in the HSBC Women's Champions which features the world's top female golfers and takes place at the Tanah Merah Country Club from 25 - 28 February, 2010.

Results >>

Name	Handicap	Club
Loi, Stephanie	0.9	SICC
Yong, Amelia	1.3	SELCC
Kok, Jo Ee *	0.1	NSRCC
Amanda Tan	2.0	JCC
Heng, Su-Ann	0.7	LNGCC
Ji, Jiali	Pro	SPGA
Goh, Christabel	Pro	Duramed Futures Tour
Poh, Joey *	0.3	NSRCC
Low Si Xuan *	0.8	SICC
Ang, Jessica	0.2	WGCC
Koh, Sock Hwee *	1.9	OCC

Please note Christabel Goh is now a professional

* = Current or past member of HSBC YGEP

Ticketing Details:
Tickets for the HSBC Women's Champions 2010 are on sale from 16 December 2009 to 28 February 2010. You can purchase your tickets at any of the SISTIC outlets or log on to www.sistic.com.sg.

Tournament Dates	Ticket Types	Ticket Price
25 February 2010 (Thursday)	Single Day Ticket	S$20
26 February 2010 (Friday)		S$20
27 February 2010 (Saturday)		S$30
28 February 2010 (Sunday)		S$30
25 - 28 February 2010	Seasonal Ticket	S$60
Other discounts and concessions: Free entry for children aged 16 years and below. Senior citizens aged 60 years old and above will enjoy 50% discount off single day and seasonal tickets.

Ticket price does not include GST, booking fee and other administrative fees charged by SISTIC.

Promotion for HSBC Customers:

From 16 December 2009 - 28 February 2010:
HSBC Premier MasterCard debit and credit cardholders will enjoy 20% discount.
All other HSBC debit and credit cardholders will enjoy 15% discount.
Please note that overseas HSBC debit and credit cards will also be eligible for the above promotion.
There will be no discount for non-HSBC debit and credit cardholders.

Media enquirers:

HSBC	Group Head of Sponsorship	Giles Morgan	+ 44 20 7992 5342
IMG	PR Manager	Michele Mair	+ 44 20 8233 5177
Fulford PR	Tournament Press Officers	Sheila Rasu Lorna Campbell	+ 65 6324 2269 +65 6324 2284

Day 1 Results and Quotes from the HSBC Women's Champions Local Qualifying

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