Womens Amateur Asia-Pacific

World-beaters set for Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific in Vietnam

The R&A

25 Feb 25

3 mins

A star-studded international line-up will be vying for glory when the seventh edition of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) championship tees off at Hoiana Shores Golf Club in Vietnam from 6-9 March.

Underlining the strength of women’s amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region, the 2025 WAAP will feature two of the top-ten players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR) – world number four Rianne Malixi of the Philippines and Korean Soomin Oh (number nine).

In total, the field will include seven players from the WAGR’s top-50 and 17 from the top-100 – all of who are capable of adding their name to the impressive list of past winners in the championship which was developed by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) and The R&A to nurture talent and provide a pathway for the region’s elite women amateurs to the international stage.

Record-breaker

In 2024, Malixi wrote her name into golf’s record books as only the second player to win both the US Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship and the US Women’s Amateur in the same year.

The 17-year-old has prepared for her fifth tilt at the title by becoming just the second woman, after major champion Michelle Wie West, to participate in an Asian Tour event, narrowly missing the cut in January’s Philippine Open after posting rounds of 75 and 72.

“Just competing with the men was a really good opportunity for me to grow as a player and was fantastic preparation for the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific,” said Malixi, who has two top-five finishes in the WAAP to her credit.

Highly-ranking Korean

Like Malixi, 16-year-old Korean schoolgirl Oh is already being widely tipped for the top following a succession of outstanding performances last year.

Among many highlights were team and individual glory in the Amateur Ladies Asia-Pacific Invitational Team Championship for the Queen Sirikit Cup in New Zealand, triumphs in the Korean Women’s Amateur and Korean Junior, and an eight-stroke victory in the World Junior Girls’ Championship in Canada.

In October, she shared 23rd place at the BMW Ladies Championship, finishing ahead of defending champion Minjee Lee, world number five Lilia Vu, and a host of other LPGA stars.

Professional experience

Among WAAP contenders, Malixi and Oh are not alone in having distinguished themselves against the professionals.

China’s Ren Yijia and Sophie Han of Hong Kong, China were both victorious on the China LPGA Tour in 2024 and were members of the APGC team that defeated their European Golf Association counterparts in the Solheim Cup-style Patsy Hankins Trophy in the United Arab Emirates in January.

Four other members of that team are also in the starting line-up at Hoiana Shores – APGC Junior Girls’ champion Arianna Lau of Hong Kong, China, Japan’s Mamika Shinchi and Aira Nagasawa and New Zealander Vivian Lu.

Flying Thai

Leading the bid to maintain Thailand’s proud record in the WAAP will be Achiraya Sriwong and Pimpisa Rubrong. In addition to the successes of Jeeno Thitikul in 2018 and Eila Galitsky in 2023, a player from Thailand has finished in the top-three in all previous six stagings of the WAAP. Since finishing joint third at Siam Country Club in last year’s WAAP, Sriwong has been in winning form, the Singha Thailand Amateur Open among five victories in 2024. Rubrong, too, will arrive in Vietnam in a bullish mood having performed creditably in last week's Honda LPGA Thailand, posting a four-day total of five-under 283 to finish in joint 41st position. The 18-year-old won the National Qualifiers to secure her spot in the LPGA Tour showpiece. Sriwong said, “This is my third time competing at WAAP, it’s always a great honour to attend this championship. I have prepared myself by working out and training hard on my short game which has given me more confidence. I finished third in Thailand last year. I would like to prove myself again this year and my goal is to do better than last time without putting pressure on myself.”

Chuc An Le - Vietnam

"I see this as a special mission and will focus on preparing to achieve my best result while also learning, as this tournament brings together many of the world's top amateur talents.”

Vietnamese contingent

For host nation Vietnam, the WAAP presents an opportunity for the country’s emerging players to gauge their progress – and to better the previous best finish of a Vietnamese player, the 51st position posted by Xuan Khue Minh Doan in 2023.

The six-strong Vietnamese contingent includes Viet Gai Han Nguyen, Chuc An Le and Anna Le, all of whom will be aiming to put into practice the lessons they learned at the inaugural WAAP Academy, staged in Thailand in December.

Speaking ahead of the championship Le said, "I see this as a special mission and will focus on preparing to achieve my best result while also learning, as this tournament brings together many of the world's top amateur talents.”

Vietnam will also boast the youngest player in the field in 12-year-old Bao Chau Nguyen, while former professional Nadene Gole is at the other end of the scale at 56-years-old.

Notable field

Last year, Gole won the R&A Women’s Senior Amateur Championship and became the first Australian to claim the US Senior Women’s Amateur title, making her the top-rated senior golfer in the WAGR. She was also a member of the Australian line-up that won the inaugural APGC Women’s Senior Team Championship in Malaysia in 2022.

The 2025 WAAP will also be notable for the participation of Jordan’s Lilian Fuad and Margaret Lavaki of Papua New Guinea. It will be the first time that either of the countries have been represented in the WAAP.

The WAAP aims to inspire future generations of women golfers and provides the champion with life-changing opportunities through exemptions into three women’s major championships and other elite amateur championships.

The winner will be invited to compete in three major championships, including the AIG Women’s Open, Amundi Evian Championship and the Chevron Championship.

In addition, they will also be invited to the Hana Financial Group Championship, ISPS Handa Australian Open, The 122nd Women's Amateur Championship and, by tradition, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

The R&A and APGC are supported by championship event partners that share their commitment to developing golf in the Asia-Pacific. The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship is proudly supported by Rolex, ISPS Handa, Hoiana Shores Golf Club, Samsung, Hana Financial Group, Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings, New World Hoiana Hotel, Peter Millar, G Link Logistics and Titleist.

More information on the WAAP can be found at the championship website.

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