SINGAPORE – Shannon Tan will not be defending her Singapore Ladies Masters title in June as the Singaporean golfer sets her sights on qualifying for the Majors.

Tan told The Straits Times on April 11: “This has been a very difficult decision. Winning the Singapore Ladies Masters last year has been one of my career highlights.”

The June 14-16 event at the Laguna National Golf Resort Club clashes with the 20-year-old’s schedule on the Ladies European Tour (LET).

According to the LET website, there is a tentative tournament during that same week in Europe.

She added: “This year marks my rookie year on the Ladies European Tour and as much as I would love to return to defend my title, my focus is to be in Europe to further my ambitions to qualify for the Majors.

“I can’t wait to play in Singapore again when my schedule allows.”

She won the 2023 event as an amateur, becoming just the second Singaporean to triumph on the China Ladies Professional Golf Association (CLPGA) Tour.

A few months later, Tan made history as she secured her LET card, a first for a Singaporean golfer.

Tan, who turned professional in January, made an immediate impact by claiming the first tournament of the season – the Magical Kenya Ladies Open – the following month.

Since then, she has claimed two top-15 finishes in five official LET events and currently sits fourth in the Order of Merit.

Tan is vying for a spot at the two Majors co-sanctioned by the LET and the LPGA Tour – the Evian Championship from July 11 to 14 in France and the Women’s British Open in Scotland from Aug 22 to 25.

The world No. 197 is also in the running for one of the 60 spots for the Paris Olympics. She currently sits 48th in the women’s Olympic Golf Rankings, with the qualification period ending on June 24.

The Singapore Ladies Masters is the sixth leg of this season’s CLPGA Tour and boasts a prize purse of US$100,000 (S$135,000) with US$15,000 for the winner.

Among the notable China golfers for the 54-hole event are Sui Xiang and Ji Yuai, who finished second by a shot to Tan in the 2023 event.