Nagasawa Soars in World Amateur Golf Ranking

Tokyo, Japan: Japanese teenager Aira Nagasawa’s rich vein of form has taken her within range of the top-10 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

A fortnight ago, the 18-year-old emerged triumphant in the 67th Japan Women's Amateur Championship. In an impressive follow-up, Nagasawa placed second among the professionals in the Shiseido Ladies Open on the Japan LPGA Tour.

On the back of those two performances, Nagasawa, a student at the Japan Wellness Sports University, has risen to 12th place in the WAGR, overhauling Yurina Hiroyoshi and Anna Iwanaga as the leading Japanese player in the standings.

Tied for 19th on her Augusta National Women’s Amateur debut in April, she is now the fourth highest rated Asia-Pacific player in the WAGR behind only Korean Oh Soo-min (ninth), Thai Eila Galitsky (10th) and Rianne Malixi of the Philippines (11th).

A member of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation’s (APGC) Patsy Hankins Trophy winning team against the European Golf Association in the United Arab Emirates last year, Nagasawa has put herself into contention to earn a second appearance in the biennial Solheim Cup-style match play event with the next edition pencilled in for January 2027.

Her victory in the Japan Women's Amateur Golf Championship at Hokkaido Brooks Country Club in Tomakomai City was her third success in a Japan Golf Association event having won the Girls’ 12-14 age group category at the 2022 Japan Junior Golf Championship and the Girls’ 15-17 segment in 2024.

At Hokkaido Brooks Country Club, Nagasawa carded rounds of 68, 70, 72 and a closing 66 for a 12-under 276 aggregate – two shots ahead of second-placed Hiroyoshi and three in front of Iwanaga in third.

Other highlights on her curriculum vitae last year included winning the Annika Invitational Asia, finishing tied third individually in the Queen Sirikit Cup, tied fourth in the Japan Women's Amateur, representing her country in the Women's World Amateur Team Championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy in Singapore and competing in the US Women’s Open.

Also making significant upward moves in the WAGR were the Thai duo of Achiraya Sriwong and Inseoul Jiamanukoonkit and Korean Park Seo-jin.

Thanks to her win in the APGC Junior Girls’ Championship at Royal Colombo Golf Club in Sri Lanka a fortnight ago, Achiraya has cemented her position as the second highest ranked Thai in the standings in 21st place, behind only Galitsky.

For her part, Jiamanukoonkit jumped nearly 900 positions to 2,097th in the wake of her victory in the Rolex Girls Junior Championship at Sycamore Hills Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She posted rounds of 69, 70 and 73 for a four-under 212 total to win by one shot.

Meanwhile, Park strengthened her status as the world number 24 after a play-off victory in the Bear Creek Cup in her homeland. She saw off the challenge of Lee Sie-un after the pair tied on 274. It was Park’s third win of the year, including victory in the Taiwan Amateur in March. Lee rose 35 places in the WAGR to 193rd.

Among the men, Korean Kim Min-su and New Zealand’s Joshua Bai are both closing in on places in the WAGR top-100.

Bai, a two-time APGC representative in the Bonallack Trophy, saw off the challenge of American Keaton Vo with a one-hole win at the prestigious North & South Amateur Championship at Pinehurst to progresses 98 positions to 108th.

Kim is just four spots behind after rising 23 places to 112th following his triumph in the Japan Amateur Championship.