Singapore: Australian Jasper Stubbs and China’s Ding Wenyi have achieved significant new milestones in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

Stubbs defeated Ding and China’s Sampson Zheng in a play-off in the 14th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) at Royal Melbourne Golf Club last week.

In so doing, 21-year-old Stubbs has soared 180 spots in the WAGR.

Stubbs, who’s bidding to defend his New Zealand Amateur Championship title this week, is upto 296th in the standings.

With the prospect of appearances in the Masters Tournament and The 152nd Open Championship next year, Stubbs will be aiming to make further progress in the rankings in the coming months.

Despite the disappointment of being edged out by Stubbs at the second extra hole at Royal Melbourne there was consolation for Ding.

As a result of his runner-up finish, 18-year-old Ding has climbed two places to 15th in the WAGR. In the process, he’s become the highest-rated Asia-Pacific player in the standings.

Strong showings at the AAC have also seen notable rises in the WAGR for Zheng, Vietnam’s Nguyen Anh Minh and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chuan-tai – all members of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) team that defeated the European Golf Association in Spain in August to win the Ryder Cup-style Bonallack Trophy.

Third-round AAC leader Zheng moves up 15 places in the WAGR to 33rd, while Lin, who tied fourth at Royal Melbourne, missing the play-off by one stroke, has gone up seven places to 64th.

With his tied seventh finish, the best performance by a Vietnamese golfer at the AAC, Anh Minh is up 22 places to 139th.

Malaysian Marcus Lim, who ended level with Anh Minh, enjoyed a 35-spot improvement to 172nd.

The AAC marked the final amateur tournament for five of the region’s most promising prospects with Australians Jack Buchanan, Jeff Guan and Max Charles and New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori and Sam Jones all turning professional.