Rolex to play a role in Japan fundraiser

The leader of the Rolex women's golf ranking is to help raise funds for the disaster relief effort in Japan in a charity tournament.

Taiwanese star Yani Tseng has said she will play on behalf of the UNICEF Children's fund in the inaugural RR Donnelly LPGA Founders Cup.

Each layer in the tournament has nominated a charity for any prize money they win to go to, with the entire $1 million (£619,000) pot being allocated to good causes.

"After seeing what happened in Japan, I want to utilise UNICEF's global expertise to provide emergency relief to those children on the ground in Japan."

The pledge comes amid concern over the state of the emergency response in Japan following the catalogue of disasters, with the tsunami triggering incidents at nuclear power stations in the north east of the country.

Yani Tseng tops the Rolex rankings with a points per tournament average of 11.38.

She is trailed by the South Korean pair of Jiyai Shin and Na Yeon Choi.