Augusta National on Their Minds

Singapore: Spanning the Pacific Ocean, the distance from Royal Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand to Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, United States is calculated at being between 8,200 to 8,500 miles (approximately 13,200 to 13,700 kilometres). It’s one of the furthest possible distances between two major golf clubs, requiring more than 20 hours of air travel.

For no fewer than 14 of the players who lined up at last week’s Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP), it's a journey they're relishing with their attention now focused on their next major assignment at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA).

The prospect of treading the hallowed fairways of Augusta National is both daunting and exciting.

In total, players from the Asia-Pacific region will make up 25 per cent of the 72-strong field with nine nationalities being represented – Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines and Thailand.

Spearheading the Asia-Pacific challenge will be Yang Yun-seo, who created history at Royal Wellington by becoming the first Korean winner of the WAAP. She will be joined in the US by her compatriots Oh Soo-min, Kim Gyu-been and Park Seo-jin, all of whom featured prominently in New Zealand.

The largest Asia-Pacific contingent comes from Japan, who will be represented by Yurina Hiroyoshi, Ai Goto, Aira Nagasawa, Anna Iwanaga and 2021 ANWA champion Tsubasa Kajitani, the first and, to date, only Asia-Pacific player to triumph in the championship.

Strong showings will also be expected of the Thailand trio of Eila Galitsky, Prim Prichnakorn and Achiraya Sriwong. Winner of the WAAP in 2023, Galitsky is the highest-rated Asia-Pacific player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking at number seven.

Raegan Denton and Eunseo Choi will fly the flag for Australia and New Zealand respectively, while Liu Yujie (China), Hsu Huai-chien (Chinese Taipei) and Arianna Lau (Hong Kong, China) will also arrive at Augusta in good spirits.

Particular attention will focus on Rianne Malixi, of the Philippines. After missing the best part of 2025 through injury, Malixi is showing welcome signs of returning to the form that saw her triumph in the US Women’s Amateur Open and US Junior Girls’ in 2024. At Royal Wellington, Malixi tied for third.

And she’ll be hoping it’s a case of third time lucky at the ANWA having missed the cut on her debut there in 2024 and being forced to pull out with injury last year.

Beginning the week prior to the 90th Masters Tournament, the ANWA’s international field of 72 players will compete across 54 holes of stroke play, with a cut to 30 players and ties taking place after 36 holes.

The first two rounds will take place at Champions Retreat Golf Club on April 1-2. The entire field will then play Augusta National Golf Club for an official practice round on April 3. The final round, featuring competitors who made the cut, will take place on April 4 at Augusta National.

The ANWA is celebrating its seventh championship this year. The inaugural edition was won by future Major champion Jennifer Kupcho in 2019 before the 2020 championship was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kajitani kick-started a historic April in 2021, capturing the first title for Japan at Augusta National eight days prior to Hideki Matsuyama’s win at the Masters Tournament.

In 2022, 16-year-old Anna Davis became the event’s youngest winner after a final-round 69. Coming off nearly three years as the top-ranked amateur in the world, Rose Zhang put a bow on her amateur career with a play-off victory at the 2023 ANWA. In 2024, England’s Lottie Woad became the first European champion of the event with birdies at 17 and 18 to win by one stroke before going on to match Zhang’s feat of winning in her professional debut on the LPGA Tour.

Last year, Spaniard Carla Bernat Escuder birdied all four par-fives in the final round at Augusta National en route to setting a new championship record at 12-under 204 in a one-stroke victory.