Female golfers putting on the style

Personal fashion increasingly common among professionals

Golf, which is more protracted and less grueling than other ball games, is seen by many as an elegant sport that allows players, especially females, to be well groomed on the greens.

The past 10 years have seen personal fashion styles becoming increasingly common among professionals and amateurs on the China Ladies Professional Golf Association tour.

Rising Chinese golfer Sui Xiang is in the limelight now, not only for her playing skills, but also for her appearance. She made quite an impact at last year's Kumho Tire Ladies Open in Weihai, in Shandong province.

Speaking about how she grooms herself, Sui - a 19-year-old who started to care for her skin and figure earlier in her teens - says: "Sunscreen is a must for me during a game. And I like to wear short pants or shirts in dark colors, which might make me look slimmer."

Meanwhile, on the first day of the CTBC Ladies Open at the end of last month, Sui wore a white visor, a black T-shirt and red skirt with her hair swept back in a ponytail. This was keeping with the rule of wearing no more than three colors at a time.

To keep up with fashion trends, Sui follows nearly 100 beauty bloggers on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo website. With these resources she has learned how to choose suitable cosmetics.

"Normally, I spend half an hour on makeup in the morning," says Sui.

Shi Yuting, 20, has her own style reflected in her nickname, "China's golf sweetheart". Speaking about her look, she says,"I prefer bright-colored clothes, because I want to appear sweet and lovely in public."

She also features in videos by You-Tube beauty guru Pony and shares beauty tips with her peers on the China LPGA tour.

Speaking about how looking after her appearance helps her golf, Shi, who likes pigtails, cute earrings and pink fingernails, says: "As it takes five hours or so for a single round, gussying up could give me a lift during the game.

"Also, I think it's necessary for a professional to appear well-groomed and behave decently in public, as it adds glamour to the sport. Besides, fans can enjoy the sport without getting bored."

Appearance-conscious female golfers are a contrast to how things were in the past.

Reflecting on changing trends, Li Hong, the chairwoman of the China LPGA tour, says: "One of my friends once told me that it was easy to tell which player was from China because they didn't pay much attention to their clothes or appearance. But things have changed a lot since then. And now these Chinese players are keen on looking stylish."

Li says beautiful, talented golfers impress global golf fans, and this is conducive to promoting the Chinabased tour.

She says the tour also offers training to Chinese professionals, teaching them how to behave appropriately in front of sponsors, cameras and audiences. "They represent the image of our country on the international stage. That is why I focus on their appearance and ability."

xingwen@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 04/20/2018 page21)