Battle heats up for CLPGA Tour finale

XIAMEN, Fujian province - As the Hyundai China Ladies Open gets set to tee off in Xiamen on Friday, a fierce battle is emerging as to who will walk away with the Order of Merit championship in the final event of the China LPGA Tour season.

With Porani Chutichai, the current leader on the money list with 239,415 yuan ($37,640) in earnings, confirming she won't be playing in the championship, several players have the opportunity to vault over the Thai to win the title in the CLPGA's third season.

Porani, a three-time winner in China this year, will be among a growing number of CLPGA Tour graduates playing in Japan next year after recently securing her card at qualifying school.