Hong Kong SAR, China: Arianna Lau will be gunning for a three-peat of Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Junior Championships when the best young players in the region converge on the Hong Kong Golf Club (HKGC) this week.

A total of 61 players representing 16 nations and territories will compete over the Old Course at Fanling in the individual tournaments as well as being spread across boys, girls, and mixed team divisions.

“It’s a chance for our best to face the region’s best and to really test where their games are at,” said Tim Tang, Golf Association of Hong Kong, China Head Coach.

Spearheading the home challenge is 17-year-old Hong Kong national team stalwart Lau, triumphant in the Girls’ Division at the APGC Junior Championship for the past two years, both times in the Philippines.

In 2023, Lau fired a closing 69 at Orchard Golf & Country Club for a 54-hole total of 212, one shot clear of Indian Nishna Patel and Thais Pimpisa Rubrong and Prim Prachnakorn.

Lau also finished ahead of Korean Kim Min-sol and Indian Avani Prashanth, who have since transitioned to the professional game.

Lau’s success over the Legends Course at Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club last year was even more impressive, going wire-to-wire.

After rounds of 68 and 65, she posted a final-day 68. Her 201 total was five shots clear of runner-up Oh Soo-min of Korea, now ninth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

Lau is one of four female players in the 2025 event currently within the top-100 in the WAGR.

Korean Park Seojin, who placed third in Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Korea Championship this month, is the highest rated player in 43rd place.

She is followed by Lau (52nd), Korean Yang Yun-seo (64th) and Thai Kritchanya Kaopattanaskul (99th).

For another quartet, strong performances in Hong Kong will see them close in on the top-100 – Australian Raegan Denton (currently 105th), Hong Kong, China’s Sophie Han (108th), Thai Prim Prachnakorn (109th) and China’s Li Menghan (115th).

Events kick-off with the official opening dinner this evening, before practice rounds across the Old Course on Monday. The first round takes place on Tuesday.