Singapore: Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Huai-chien is closing in on a place in the top-100 in the women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
Producing the best performance of her career, Hsu had the notable distinction of finishing as the leading individual at last week’s World Amateur Team Championships for the Espirito Santo Trophy.
With rounds of 72, 68, 66 and 69 for a 13-under aggregate of 275 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Hsu upstaged the finest female amateurs in the game.
On the back of her efforts, Chinese Taipei claimed the silver medal, behind the triumphant Korean team of Kim Min-sol, Seo Kyo-rim and Lee Hyo-song.
It was Chinese Taipei’s first medal in its 16 women’s World Amateur Team appearances.
It also helped Hsu, a sophomore at the University of Texas, to jump 61 places in the WAGR to 107th, the second highest-rated Chinese Taipei player in the standings behind Espirito Santo team-mate Tiffany Huang Ting-hsuan, the 2022 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) champion.
Hsu is set to make her fourth WAAP appearance at Thailand’s Siam Country Club at the start of February, 2024. In her three previous starts she’s finished 17th (2023), 35th (2022) and 16th (2021).
The strength of women’s golf in the region was underlined in Abu Dhabi with five of the top-seven individual finishers from the Asia-Pacific.
Korean Seo was third on 278 followed by New Zealand’s Fiona Xu, Indian Avani Prashanth and Singapore’s Inez Ng (tied fourth, 279).
Seo has risen 19 spots in the WAGR to 85th, while 14-year-old compatriot Lee is up four to 56th and 16-year-old Kim maintains her place at number four.
Kiwi Xu moves up three to 15th, with Prashanth up seven to 62nd. Ng soared 103 spots to 265th, second among Singaporeans, behind only Shannon Tan (78th).
Thailand’s Eila Galitsky, winner of this year’s WAAP, tied for 11th in Abu Dhabi and rises six spots to 69th in the WAGR.
Maddison Hinson-Tolchard continued her good form with a share of eighth place and remains 34th in the WAGR, the leading Australian in the standings.
Hinson-Tolchard was the outstanding player for the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation in August’s loss to the European Golf Association in the Solheim Cup-style match play Patsy Hankins Trophy in Spain.
