Ranking Rise for WAAP Champion Huang

Pattaya, Thailand: With her stunning victory in the fourth Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) championship, Huang Ting-hsuan has broken into the top-70 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

Huang’s triumph at Siam Country Club makes her the first player from Chinese Taipei to savour success in the region’s premier amateur event for females, following Thai Atthaya Thitikul (2018), and Japan’s Yuka Yasuda (2019) and Mizuki Hashimoto (2021) onto the WAAP roll of honour.

The 17-year-old Huang, who has recorded nine wins and 23 top-10 finishes in the last two years, triumphed in style over the Waterside Course.

She made six birdies in her final 11 holes to post a closing three-under 69 for an 11-under 277 total. It was good enough for a two-shot victory over Thailand’s Natthakritta Vongtaveelap.

Thanks to her WAAP success, Huang, who is committed to UCLA next year, has secured places in two Major championships – the AIG Women’s Open and the Amundi Evian Championship – as well as the Hana Financial Group Championship and an invitation to play in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2023.

In the wake of her latest win, Huang has risen 17 places to 66th in the WAGR. She is the third highest-placed player from her country, after Lu Hsin-yu (36th) and Lin Tze-han (60th). Lu tied for sixth in the WAAP while Lin did not participate.

Despite having to settle for runners-up spot at the WAAP for the second year in succession, Natthakritta moved to 30th from last week’s position of 38th.

With her joint ninth finish, Japan’s Mamika Shinchi rises to 20th spot, a 33-ranking improvement.

Saki Baba, who tied for sixth in the WAAP, remains the highest rated player from the Asia-Pacific, retaining her third spot in the WAGR. Her Japanese compatriot Hashimoto, the 2021 WAAP champion who shared ninth place in Thailand after leading at half-way, is 17th.

Among other WAAP players to make positive moves in the rankings based on their performances at Siam Country Club were New Zealand’s Vivian Lu (up 12 to 119), Korean Lee Hyo-song (up 76 to 173), Rianne Mikhaela Malixi (up 47 to 189), Hong Kong’s Virginie Ding Wai-chung (up 61 to 348) and Thai Suvichaya Vinijchaitham (up 99 to 388).

The WAAP has been developed by The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation to inspire future generations of women golfers and provides the champion with an unparalleled launchpad early in their career.

Meanwhile, Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg has regained the number one spot for men following Taiga Semikawa’s decision to turn professional.

Semikawa closed out his time as world number one by becoming only the second amateur to win the Japan Open Golf Championship, one of two wins in professional tournaments along with the Panasonic Open Golf Championship.

Now the leading Asia-Pacific male in the WAGR is 15-year-old Thai Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat in 14th spot, two places ahead of 17-year-old Chinese Ding Wenyi, this year’s US Junior Amateur champion.

Australian Harrison Crowe, winner of the 13th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Thailand a fortnight ago, is 26th.