A three-day Australian Ladies Professional Golf 54-hole qualifying tournament has attracted 81 players from almost 30 nations.

They are vying for the final 20 spots in what will be an 80-strong field for the 36-hole pro-am on Saturday and Sunday.

Simin Feng from China shapes as one to watch.

Feng has experience on the LPGA Tour in the United States, having been only the fourth Chinese player to qualify for the tour when she made the step in 2014.

Cheyenne Knight from the United States might be another to keep an eye on in qualifying.

She is coming off her first year on the Symetra Tour, which sits second to the LPGA Tour.

She finished 32nd on the 2018 Symetra Tour money list and has experience in the LPGA qualifying school.

Knight has progressed through the college system in the US, having been a three-time first-team All-American. 

The Ballarat Icons ALPG Pro-Am at the weekend is the lead-up to the Victoria Open on February 7-10 and Australian Open on February 14-17.

This is the second year of the Ballarat event, with last year’s tournament played over 18 holes and won by China’s Xi Yu Lin in a two-hole play-off with Lydia Hall from Wales.

As well as the pro-am being expanded to two days, the qualifying event is another first.

ALPGA operations manager Emily McLennan said the reponse from players for the week-long event in Ballarat had been overwhelming.

She said it spoke volumes for the development and growth of the ALPGA Tour.

All up about 110 players will converge on Ballarat Golf Club for the qualifying and pro-am tournaments, with most spending time on the course on Sunday to become acclimatised to conditions. 

Xi Yu Lin is returning to defend her crown.

She went on to have top 20 finishes in the Canberra Classic and NSW Open on the ALPG Tour last year.

Hall will also be back, determined to make amends for missing a short putt which cost her victory in the play-off.

Leticia Ras-Anderica (Germany), Charlotte Thomas (England), Nadine White (Queensland), Stacey Peters (Victoria), Michele Thomson (Scotland) and Felicity Johnson (England) are others from last year’s top 10 already locked in for the pro-am.

Thomas has opened her Australian summer tour by tying for seventh in the Curlewis Blitz.

The Blitz was won by Australian Montana Strauss, who will also be playing in Ballarat.

The pro-am provides eight exemptions for the Vic Open (eight), while the winner is guaranateed a start in the Australia Open.