London, England: Eila Galitsky and Tiffany Huang Ting-hsuan, the past two winners of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP), spearhead a power-packed Asia-Pacific line-up at this week’s 120th Women’s Amateur Championship.

Thai Galitsky and Chinese Taipei’s Huang are among a 17-strong contingent from the region bidding for glory at Prince’s in the southern English county of Kent.

A talented field of 144 players representing 37 countries are in the starting field, including 12 players ranked inside the top-50 on the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), led by new world number one amateur Ingrid Lindblad of Sweden.

At 36, Huang is the highest ranked player from the Asia-Pacific. She is followed by Malaysian Jeneath Wong (54), Australian Justice Bosio (55), Rianne Malixi of the Philippines (98) and Galitsky (100).

Also taking part are Australians Caitlin Peirce (110), Lion Higo (165), Abbie Teasdale (184) and Amelia Whinney (324), while Japan is being represented by Sera Hasegawa (130), Shio Chaki (377) and Ami Yamashita (404).

Completing the Asia-Pacific entry are Indians Mannat Brar (531) and Nishna Patel (774), Thai Suvichaya Vinijchaitham (311), Indonesian Elaine Widjaja (360) and Singapore’s Anne Fernandez (850).

Lindblad, 23, has climbed to the number one spot following the update to the WAGR standings, with the Swede taking over from American Rose Zhang who quickly impressed to win the LPGA Tour’s Mizuho America’s Open on her professional debut last week.

“I’m delighted to be the new world number one amateur,” said Lindblad, one of three players in the world’s top-10 to be competing at Prince’s alongside Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio (three) from Spain and Scotland’s Hannah Darling (nine).

Lindblad is a senior at Louisiana State University (LSU) and has enjoyed a stellar collegiate career, winning 11 times and recording 34 top-15 finishes in 37 starts for LSU. She will make her third appearance in The Women’s Amateur Championship, having reached the last-16 at Hunstanton last year, and is eager to put on another good showing.

“I’m excited to be back playing The Women’s Amateur,” she added. “I’ve been hitting the ball well lately so I’m ready to go play. I’ve had a great experience in the last few years of this championship and I’m looking forward to another one.”

Fernandez Garcia-Poggio, 18, was runner-up in last year’s R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship at Carnoustie. The rising Spanish star won the 2022 Spanish Women’s Amateur and has finished in the top-five in two Ladies’ European Tour events.

There are 23 entrants from Great Britain and Ireland who will start the stroke play stage – including last year’s champion Jess Baker.

Baker took the title in Norfolk after defeating Sweden’s Louise Rydqvist by 4&3 in the final and is joined by fellow English hope Annabell Fuller at Prince’s, making a seventh appearance in the Championship.

Darling is making her fourth appearance and is keen to go one better than previous attempts. The Scot has twice been a semi-finalist, both times losing out to the eventual winner – Louise Duncan at Kilmarnock (Barassie) in 2021 and Baker last year.

Other notable players teeing up include Valentina Rossi from Argentina, winner of the Women's Amateur Latin America in November, and Swede Meja Ortengren, the 18-year-old ranked 14th on the WAGR.

Among 11 American golfers are 2021 US Women’s Amateur champion Jensen Castle and world number 29 Latanna Stone.

The Women's Amateur Championship is one of the leading championships in amateur golf for women. The Championship, founded in 1893, attracts an international field with an impressive list of former winners including McCormack Medal winner Leona Maguire and Major champions Georgia Hall and Anna Nordqvist.

The winner of the event gains entry to the AIG Women’s Open, US Women’s Open, The Amundi Evian Championship and, by tradition, will earn an invitation to compete at the Augusta National Women's Amateur.

The field will take part in the stroke play stage on Tuesday and Wednesday, playing 36 holes. From there, 64 players and ties will advance to the match play stage from Thursday to Sunday.

Prince’s played host to The Open in 1932, won by Gene Sarazen. The club has welcomed Final Qualifying for The Open from 2018 to 2022, while the course also co-hosted The Amateur Championship in 2013 and 2017. Prince’s boasts 27 holes of links golf organised in three loops – Shore, Dunes and Himalayas – with the Championship being played over Shore and Dunes.