Singapore: Korean teenager Oh Soo-min led a strong showing of Asia’s finest female amateurs with a career-best performance at the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open.
Three shots clear at the top heading into the final round at Tanah Merah Country Club, 16-year-old Oh had been aiming to become the first amateur winner on the KLPGA Tour since Choi Hye-jin in 2017, as well as the circuit’s fourth-youngest winner.
However, following a closing 71 for a 273 total, Oh settled for third place – two strokes behind the triumphant Kim Jae-hee and one adrift of runner-up Bang Shin-sil.
Nonetheless, Oh, who tied for 26th at last month’s Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP), surpassed her previous best performance against the professionals, tied-ninth at last year’s Kyochon 1991 Ladies Open.
Having joined the Korean national amateur team this year, Oh’s fine run of form has fuelled her desire to participate in as many professional tournaments as possible.
“When I decided to enter this tournament, I thought: ‘Let’s just make the cut, win the best amateur award and be in the top five’. Those were my initial goals,” said Oh.
“I’m very grateful I was able to play in the champions flight because I’ve learnt a lot. Sometimes in high-pressure situations, I tend to rush my shots. But through this tournament, I learned to be more calm and poised.
“I was a little bit sorry to not win but there’s so much that I learnt through this competition that compensates for not being able to win.”
Four other notable amateur players from around the region also made the cut – Korean Lee Hyo-song (joint 38th, 285), Thai Eila Galitsky (joint 43rd, 286), Singapore’s Chen Xingtong (joint 54th, 289) and Rianne Malixi of the Philippines (joint 60th, 290).
Lee was runner-up in the WAAP in Thailand, where Malixi finished equal fifth and Galitsky, WAAP champion in 2023, ended in a share of 26th place.
Chinese-Taipei’s Wu Chun-wei, the surprise WAAP winner last month, missed the half-way cut at Tanah Merah after rounds of 73 and 78.
Also failing to qualify for the final two rounds were Malaysian Ng Jing Xuan and Australian Justic Bosio (both 146), Singapore’s Aloysa Atienza (147), and Indonesian Elaine Widjaja (160).
