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Womens Amateur Asia-Pacific
Oz and NZ golfers relish prizes on offer at Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific
13 Oct 22
3 mins
The leading women amateur golfers from Australia and New Zealand are targeting a win at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship when it is played at the Waterside Course at the Siam Country Club in Thailand from 3-6 November.
The premier women’s amateur championship will feature 86 of the region’s finest golfers from 21 countries, with the first three editions being won by players from Thailand (Atthaya Thitikul, 2018) and Japan (Yuka Yasuda, 2019 and Mizuki Hashimoto, 2021).Strong Aussie presence
In 2022, Australia will field a strong squad of six players, all ranked inside 152 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR). It will be spearheaded by Kirsten Rudgeley, the 2021 English Women’s Amateur champion, who at 34 in the WAGR is the top-ranked Aussie. It will also feature Kelsey Bennett who finished joint runner-up in the WAAP when it was played in Abu Dhabi last year. Justice Bosio, who reached the quarter-finals of the 73rd US Girls’ Junior Championship in Kentucky this year, Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, Caitlin Peirce and Sarah Hammett.Kiwi hopes
The New Zealand team also comprise six players, with world number 72 Fiona Xu, who matched Bosio’s quarter-final effort at the US Girls’ Junior Championship, as their leading star. Others in the team are Vivian Lu, Eunseo Choi, Tara Raj, Darae Chung and Sumin Kang. Bennett’s tied second place in Abu Dhabi is the best result by an Australian in the championship that is organised by The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) and was first held in 2018. For New Zealand, Wenyung Keh’s play-off loss to Atthaya Thitikul in the inaugural championship in Singapore in 2018 remains the nation’s best finish. The field in Thailand is stacked with stars, including Saki Baba, Japan’s world number four and the reigning US Amateur champion. World number 11 Jiyoo Lim of the Republic of Korea and local star Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, who wants to go one better than her second-place finish in Abu Dhabi last year, will be strong contenders as well.Major opportunity
There is a lot to play for at the WAAP with the winner at Siam Country Club earning the opportunity to compete in two major championships in 2023 – the AIG Women’s Open and the Amundi Evian Championship. They will also be invited to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Hana Financial Group Championship. The 21-year-old Rudgeley, who became the first Australian to make the cut at ANWA earlier this year and play the final round at Augusta National Golf Club where she finished tied eighth, will be making her debut in the WAAP. The West Australian has also already had a taste of major championship golf, earning a place in the 2021 AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie through Final Qualifying.Rudgeley's winning feeling
Rudgeley, whose last win was in the third week of January at the Avondale Amateur, is eager to get back in the winners’ circle and knows it would be a great week to do that in Thailand. Rudgeley said, “I have heard so many good things about the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship and how the girls have enjoyed their previous experiences. I am excited to finally become a part of it this year. “I know what is on offer to the WAAP champion. It was incredible to play and be in the mix at the ANWA this year and playing at the AIG Women’s Open last year was just a whole other level. Having had a taste of major championship golf, I know that is where I want to be. Winning WAAP would be a huge boost to getting back there.”
Kelsey Bennett will be hoping to go one better at this year's championship after her runner-up finish in Abu Dhabi in 2021.