Pattaya, Thailand: Wu Chun-wei has ushered in the Year of the Dragon in roaring fashion. Just days after being crowned Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) champion, the 19-year-old Chinese Taipei player soared 109 places in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
Defying her 264th place ranking at the start of last week, Wu produced a stunning performance at Siam Country Club’s Waterside Course, posting a wire-to-wire win against a high-quality field.
In so doing, she set various new WAAP records, most notably the lowest 72-hole total of 18-under-par 270 (67, 65, 66 and 72) – two shots better than the old mark.
Now upto 155th in the WAGR, Wu is the fourth highest-rated player from her country, behind Chen Ching-tzu (145), Hsu Huai-chien (90) and Tiffany Huang Ting-hsuan (56).
Huang won the WAAP when it was last staged at Siam Country Club’s Waterside Course in 2022, when she roomed with Wu. Huang was unable to participate this year due to her college commitments in the United States.
For Wu, there will now be multiple opportunities for her to further improve on her WAGR status. Thanks to her WAAP victory, Wu has earned starts in three major championships in 2024 - the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews, the Amundi Evian Championship in France and the Chevron Championship in the United States.
She’ll also receive invitations to a handful of other elite championships such as the Hana Financial Group Championship, ISPS HANDA Women’s Australian Open, The 121st Women’s Amateur Championship and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
The other player to soar in the WAGR based on her WAAP showing was Pimpisa Rubrong. With a fourth-place finish, Pimpisa rose 91 places to 297th. Her fellow-Thai Achiraya Sriwong also enjoyed a productive week, climbing 51 spots to 142nd after ending third at the WAAP.
Korean 15-year-old Lee Hyo-song, runner-up to Wu, has risen 12 spots to 38th in the WAGR. Her compatriot Kim Min-sol, who finished joint fifth at Siam Country Club, remains fourth in the WAGR, the highest-ranked player from the Asia-Pacific region.
Rianne Malixi of the Philippines, who fired a WAAP record nine-under 63 in round three and finished tied fifth, moves up five places to 37th in the WAGR, while Thai Eila Galitsky, the 2023 WAAP champion, drops three places to 41st after finishing joint 26th.
