HSBC Women's Champions 2012 Enables Local Design Students Worldwide Exposure
created on : 26th Jan 2012

For the third consecutive year, in conjunction with the HSBC Women's Champions which will take place from 23-26 February, HSBC will partner with Raffles Design Institute (RDI) for the annual Caddy Bib Design contest.

The Caddy Bib Design contest, which draws design entries from local students for a unique caddy bib for the HSBC Caddy of the Year, is a special feature in the tournament schedule and provides the winning student with global recognition during the tournament weekend.

Following the success of the 2010 and 2011 competition, the tournament sponsors have extended the opportunity to more students in this year's instalment. The 2012 contest will see the number of participants double, as students across RDI's Advanced Diploma Graphic Apply Illustration Degree join Graphic Design and Multimedia course undergraduates in a bid to gain the top spot.

The 60 RDI students have been asked to submit designs that include a Singaporean flavour while reflecting the global presence of the tournament sponsor.

The winning student will gain worldwide exposure as his or her design will be presented to and worn by the HSBC Caddy of the Year throughout the tournament weekend. Millions of fans will be able to catch a glimpse of the design on television throughout broadcasts of the HSBC Women's Champions next month.

Giles Morgan, Group Head of Sponsorship, HSBC said, "The HSBC Caddy of the Year awards was designed to celebrate the unsung heroes of the professional game. We are pleased that through the Caddy Bib Design contest we are also able to recognise the talent of Singapore's top design students and provide them with an opportunity to showcase their work across the globe.  We are delighted that we have also been able to increase the number of entrants this year and I look forward to seeing the creativity of the students come to the fore as they vie for the top prize!"

The HSBC Caddy of the Year awards has become a mainstay event for both the HSBC Women's Champions and the WGC-HSBC Champions and is a highlight in the LPGA Tour calendar for players and caddies alike. HSBC hosts the Caddy of the Year awards during the week of the tournament and crowns the winner in recognition of his or her work during the 2011 season.

Last year, Mick Seaborn, caddy for Japanese favourite Ai Miyazato, received the honour of HSBC Caddy of the Year for his role in Miyazato's highly-successful 2010 season which saw the golfer win five LPGA Tour events. He received and wore the winning caddy bib design created by 20-year old Priyatna Sungkono, whose work centred on a modern representation of a Western female golfer immersed in Asian culture.

Raffles Design Institute aims to be the premier creative arts, design, lifestyle and business management education group in Asia Pacific. Always at the cutting edge, Raffles Design Institute prides itself on grooming individuals to become award-winners and is recognised by International Enterprise Singapore as one of the most promising education providers.

"We are delighted to be working with the HSBC Women's Champions for the third consecutive year and it's fantastic for us to be able to extend the invitation to twice as many students for the 2012 contest. The project has allowed our students to gain valuable industry experience and there is the obvious benefit of global exposure for the lucky winner. We endeavour to give our students as many opportunities as possible and the HSBC Caddy Bib Design contest now plays an important role in the course timetable. The students are already excited by the prospect that their design could be showcased across the globe." said Kenji Choo, Programme Director for the Visual Communication Department at Raffles Design Institute. 

The HSBC Women's Champions 2012 takes place from 23 to 26 February at the Tanah Merah Country Club (TMCC) and will see defending champion, Karrie Webb, take to the field in an attempt to regain her title. Widely regarded as 'Asia's Major', the fifth edition of the tournament will see 63 of the world's top female golfers battle it out over 72 holes of individual stroke play for an increased prize purse of US$1.4 million.

Asia's female golfing superstars Jiyai Shin, Na Yeon Choi and current World Number One, Yani Tseng, are expected to confirm their participation over the forthcoming weeks alongside well-known favourites, Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis and Michelle Wie.

The world-class field will also include two sponsors' invitations, in addition to the winner of a two-day host country qualifying tournament for Singaporean amateur and professionals to be held at TMCC on 30 and 31 January 2012.

For more information on the HSBC Women's Champions 2012, please visit the tournament website at http://www.hsbcgolf.com/womens.