Wellington: A rising star in the world of amateur female golf leads a contingent of top players from the region in the 8th Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship (WAAP) at Royal Wellington, New Zealand, from February 12-15 next year. Five Thai players will compete, led by Prim Prachnakorn, a two-time SEA Games gold medalist.
According to Thai News Agency, the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship in New Zealand will feature 84 amateur golfers from 28 countries, including 13 players in the top 50 and 26 in the top 100. Leading the Thai team are Oh Soo-min, the world's number 12 amateur golfer from South Korea, Rhian Masili, the world's number 15 player from the Philippines, and Janet Wong, the 2025 Vietnam champion from Malaysia, who has confirmed her return to defend her title. The Thai team is led by Prim Prachnakorn, a two-time SEA Games gold medalist, and Achiraya Sriwong, the world's number 30 amateur.
Rhian Masili, an 18-year-old golfer, will be competing in her sixth WAAP tournament, having previously finished in the top five twice. Other golfers making their sixth appearance include Vivian Lu, a local favorite from New Zealand; Inez Sin-Yi Ing from Singapore; and Ronata Howard from the Cook Islands, who is returning to competition after a break to give birth to her first child.
Five Thai golfers will be competing, led by Prim Prachnakorn, who recently won two gold medals in the individual and team events at the 33rd SEA Games last Sunday. She is joined by Kritchanya Kaopattanasakul, a silver medalist in the women's individual event, Achiraya Sriwong, ranked 30th in the world as an amateur, as well as Phimphisa Sisuatham and Nicha Kanphai.
Prim Prachnakorn, who finished tied for 33rd in this tournament last year in Vietnam, said, 'The WAAP is a big tournament for amateur golfers because the champion gets to play in major tournaments. It's a great opportunity for amateur golfers. This will be my third time competing, but my results in the past two times haven't been very good. This year I've improved myself and will try my best. I've never played in New Zealand before, but from what I've researched, it seems to be windy and quite cold. I'll have to practice hitting against strong winds and adjust to the cold weather. After winning two gold medals at the SEA Games, I feel more confident. I'm aiming for a top ten finish, which would be great, but if possible, I'd like to be the champion because I want to play in bigger tournaments.'
Wan-On Achiraya Sriwong, Thailand's highest-ranked amateur golfer at this tournament, revealed about competing in her fourth WAAP: 'This tournament is a great platform because I get to play against skilled golfers from various countries. It's also important for amateur golfers to have the opportunity to play in major tournaments. Competing in the past three tournaments has given me excellent experience. I feel confident and determined to do better than ever before. Playing in this tournament, along with major events like the Augusta International Women's Amateur and the LPGA Maybank Championship, has helped me develop my mental strengths and improve my weaknesses for the WAAP in February. My goal this time is to score under par more than in any previous year.'
Meanwhile, Oh Su-min, runner-up at the most recent WAAP in Vietnam in March and winner of the individual event at the 2025 Queen Sirikit Cup, will lead her compatriots Hong Su-min and Yang Yun-seo, who finished 3rd and 4th respectively in the recent WAAP, along with Park Seo-jin, Kim Gui-bin, and Park Bo-yun, all vying to become the first South Korean golfer to win the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship.
From Japan, there are six amateur golfers competing, five of whom are in the top 100 in the world. These include Mamika Shinji (ranked 88), returning for her fourth appearance after finishing in the top ten in 2022 and 2024; Anna Iwanaga (ranked 24); and Aira Nakazawa (ranked 33), all of whom have previous experience on this tournament. Meanwhile, Yurina Hiroyoshi (ranked 19), Ai Goto (ranked 52), and Tsukia Nakashima (ranked 104) will be playing for the first time.
On the host side, New Zealand, in addition to Vivian Lu, has eight other players competing, the most in a single Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship. Choi Eun-seo, ranked 53rd in the world, is the highest-ranked player on the team, while Chung Da-rae, a member of the Royal Wellington team, is expected to receive enthusiastic support from the local fans. The three players join Emma Cheng, Teresa Wang, Kim Joo-won, Koey Cho, Sherry Lee, and Kaitlyn Maurice, who is competing in this tournament for the first time in St. Andrews, Scotland.
In addition, there are many other talented amateur female golfers, such as Sabrina Wong, the champion of the R and A Girls Amateur Championship from Hong Kong, Liu Yuji from China, who is competing for the third time, while Raina Kumar from Fiji and Yan Jin Kam Batdelker from Mongolia will represent their countries in the competition for the first time.
The winner of the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific golf tournament will receive qualification for three major tournaments in 2026: the AIG Women's Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes, the Amundi Evian Championship in France, and the Chevron Championship in the United States. They will also receive invitations to compete in the LPGA Tour's Hana Financial Group Championship, the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open, and major amateur tournaments such as the 123rd Women's Amateur Championship and Augusta National Women's Amateur.
The Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Golf Tournament, a collaboration between the R and A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Federation (APGC), aims to inspire and provide life-changing opportunities for Asia's leading amateur female golfers. This year's tournament is supported by Rolex, ISPS Handa, Royal Wellington Golf Club, Samsung, Hana Financial Group, Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings, Peter Millar, New Zealand Mercedes-Benz, Titleist, and Tongariro, as well as investment partners New Zealand Major Events and the Wellington Council.