Malaysia has three players in the top five following the first round of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship (WAAP), played yesterday at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
Audrey Tan, Natasha Andrea Oon and Ashley Lau fired identical rounds of three-under-par 69 to lie in joint fifth spot with Korea’s Youmin Hwang, India’s Anika Varma, Australia’s Kelsey Bennett They are three shots behind leader Natthakritta Vongtaveelap of Thailand who shot a superb 66. Chun-Wei Wu of Chinese Taipei, Mizuki Hashimoto of Japan and Viera Permata Rosada of Indonesia were tied in second place at four-under-par 68
The three other Malaysians in the field, Winnie Ng, Liyana Durisic and Foong Xi Yu, carded rounds of 72, 73 and 75 respectively.
Natasha Andrea Oon (Photo by Graham Uden/R&A via Getty Images)
Hamda Al Suwaidi, from the host nation of the United Arab Emirates, had the honour of hitting the first tee shot of the championship. “It was a lot of pressure and I was nervous but I was also honoured to represent the UAE. I hit the first shot and it went well,” she said.
“It’s a big opportunity for us to play against the best amateurs in the Asia-Pacific region. I learned a lot from this round and the practice sessions. It was such a good experience for me and of course for the rest of the UAE team.”
The championship was won in its inaugural year, 2018, by Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul, who has graduated to become the number one player on the Ladies European Tour (LET) this season, and by Japan’s Yuka Yasuda in 2019.
A total of 78 players from 16 nations are taking part this week. The WAAP champion earns a place in two major championships, the AIG Women’s Open and the Amundi Evian Championship, as well as the Hana Financial Group Championship and an invitation to play in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
The WAAP was developed by The R&A and APGC to unearth emerging talent and provide a pathway for Asia’s elite women amateurs to the international stage. This year’s championship is supported by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Hana Financial Group, Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings, Rolex, Samsung and Trust Golf.
For more information, log on to randa.org/WAAP
Ashley Lau (Photo by Graham Uden/R&A via Getty Images)
