Beijing, China: Sophie Han has claimed her first major tournament victory thanks to a sensational final-round seven-under-par 65 that sealed a one-shot triumph for the Hongkonger at the Reignwood CLPGA Classic.
The 17-year-old amateur posted a 10-under 278 total (68-73-72-65) at the Reignwood Pine Valley course on the outskirts of Beijing, after scorching up the leaderboard thanks to a run of six birdies over seven holes from the eighth.
That lifted the Hong Kong, China star into the lead and though there were a few nervous moments after Han bogeyed the last, she clung on for a famous victory in the China LPGA Tour event.
The only woman who could catch her – Thai amateur Pimpisa Rubrong – made par when she needed a birdie to force a play-off that would have been cruel, given Han’s heroics across the final round.
Han busied herself signing autographs as that final group played out – but she was soon front and centre, and lifting the trophy high.
Danny Lai, CEO of the Golf Association of Hong Kong, China (GAHKC), said: “Congratulations to Sophie on such a superb achievement. She showed just how far her game has come and what an exciting future she has in the game.
“Thanks also to the China Golf Association (CGA) as they continue to support our players and the work we are doing to grow the game. Sophie has shown how far our golfers can go when given the opportunity to play.”
Han thanked the GAHKC and the CGA for their support. She also thanked her mum and gave herself ‘99 or 98 points’ out of 100 for her performance.
Han, who began the week in 140th place in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), said: “I was very confident. On the final day, it was a case of the right time, place, and people. The combination of all these factors led to this result.”
Han has been playing on the CLPGA Tour after accepting a card arranged by the CGA and the GAHKC as the two organisations continue to offer opportunities for the SAR’s golfers. She now has a victory and a tied-for-sixth from just three starts.
Among the many highlights of the past two years for Han were a third-place finish in the 2023 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP), while she has represented Hong Kong, China in the World Amateur Team Championships, Asian Games and Queen Sirikit Cup.
In this year’s WAAP, Han was joint 16th while Pimpisa finished fourth. The Thai is currently 153rd in the WAGR.
Han’s stunning performance on China’s leading professional Tour comes just before she heads back to the IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championship in California, scene of her triumph last year when she combined with Arianna Lau to win the Girls 15-18 team section.
“I’ve been focused on the present all along, trying to do well with each shot,” said Han. “So this result was completely unexpected. I just did my best on each step of the process.”
Third place in Beijing went to Pang Runzhi, who posted her maiden China LPGA Tour win at last month’s Singapore Ladies Masters.
With the top two places being filled by amateurs, Pang was awarded the first-place prize money of RMB150,000 from the RMB1 million total purse.
