Singapore: Hou Yu-chiang has been dislodged from top spot in the women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). After two weeks at the summit, the Chinese Taipei player has been overhauled by in-form American teenager Rose Zhang.
With October 7 set as the date for the determination of the winner of the 2020 Mark H. McCormack Medal for women, Hou has three weeks remaining to reclaim first place.
Hou became the first woman from her country to reach the number one ranking. She joined Pan Cheng-tsung as only the second Taipei player to hold the position as the world’s best amateur. Pan, now plying his trade on the PGA Tour, was the number one player in the men’s ranking for eight weeks in 2013.
Among her playing highlights in recent years, Hou finished tied for 29th in the inaugural Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club in 2018 and was 17th in last year’s WAAP at Japan’s The Royal Club.
In claiming the number one ranking, 17-year-old Zhang proved yet again there’s a fine line between elite amateurs and top women professionals when she finished equal 11th in the ANA Inspiration.
Australian Gabriela Ruffels challenged for low amateur honours, eventually finishing one shot behind Zhang in joint 15th. Zhang edged Ruffels at the 38th hole in the final at the 120th US Women’s Amateur last month.
While Hou slips one place to second in the WAGR, Ruffels, the 2019 US Women’s Amateur champion, makes a four-ranking improvement to ninth.
China’s Ye Lei also made the cut, finishing tied for 40th. She climbs 12 spots to 19th.
Meanwhile, Ye’s compatriot Xin (Cindy) Kou earned her fourth AJGA Invitational win with victory in the AJGA Girls Invitational at Stanford. She soars 269 places to 172nd.
Malaysian Ng Jing Xuen was the biggest mover of the week, advancing 980 positions to a career best 909th by winning the third leg of the SportExcel-Milo-NSC Malaysian Junior Premier Elite Golf Circuit 2020.
In the men’s standings, China’s Huang Zijie jumped 949 positions to 5,274th after finishing second to countryman Pan Junjie in the National Amateur Tour Leg 2 in their homeland. Pan improved 316 places to 2,935th.
Japan's Takumi Kanaya, lining up alongside the best players in the world in this week's US Open at Winged Foot, has maintained his number one position in the WAGR for men.
