Ochoa, who won here last year by 11 strokes, will take on 34 of the 40 top-ranked players in the 78-woman field, including Americans Paula Creamer, Angela Stanford, Cristie Kerr, and Natalie Gulbis at the par-72, 6,547-yard Tanah Merah Country Club course.

Ochoa is also eyeing a group of young Asian stars, including world No.2-ranked Yani Tseng of Taiwan, as she hopes to build on her victory last week at the Honda LPGA Thailand, her 25th career title.

"It's great that now there's a whole new generation of players to challenge me," said Ochoa, a 27-year-old Mexican. "All of them are very young, and they're not afraid."

In her first tournament of the year, Ochoa started moderately last week in Thailand but improved to record a three-stroke victory over South Korea's Hee Young Park. Creamer led by three strokes entering the final round, but shot a 73 to finish third, four strokes back.

Tseng, who at 19 last year was the youngest player to win the LPGA Championship, said she plans to get off to a fast start on the first round on Thursday in her bid to knock Ochoa off the top spot.

"My goal this year is to be world number one," Tseng said. "I will be looking for a great start with a lot of birdies."

Tseng joins a slew of young Korean stars _ 17 of the top 50 players are from South Korea _ who have begun to make a name for themselves in a women's golf scene in transition after the retirement of Sweden's Annika Sorenstam and the fading of other experienced stars.

"Until recently things were being dominated by a few more experienced players," said No.4-ranked Suzann Pettersen of Norway. "Suddenly these girls have come in and shaken up the mix at the top of women's golf."

Local fans will be cheering on 15-year-old Joey Poh, who qualified by winning an amateur tournament last month.