The 26-year-old Zhang hopes this week's tournament can lift her spirits and boost her confidence heading into the new season.

"The Women's China Open promises to be a fantastic week with many talented players. It's a long time since I played on the China LPGA Tour," she said. "I feel thrilled and am looking forward to meeting old friends out there. It's a good opportunity to play in a different and exciting ambience."

Looking to spoil the homecoming is money leader Sherman. The 27-year-old is coming off a strong season where she won the CLPGA Q school in February and then went wire-to-wire to claim the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Championship in June. In all, she posted five top-10 finishes in nine events.

The Thai, however, tried to play down any talk of a battle for the money list crown between Zeng and herself. Sherman currently leads the standings by 36,159 yuan.

"Actually, my goal is just try to win every tournament, try to do my best every day," said Sherman, who last week finished equal 29th at the ISPS Handa Australian Open. "When I play golf I just focus on myself to play my best every shot."