Ren Motivated by Promise of Major Prizes

Beijing, China: Only under exceptional circumstances would gifted teenager Ren Yijia consider delaying her switch to professional game. Winning the eighth Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) would be such an instance.

At the age of 16, the China prodigy is widely regarded as one of the hottest properties in women’s amateur golf.

A fortnight ago, Ren triumphed at the CLPG Tour’s Orient Ningbo Challenge. In the process she wrote her name into golf’s record books as the first amateur to win four times on China’s burgeoning domestic professional circuit for women.

By her own admission, it’s just a matter of time before Ren relinquishes her amateur status. Indeed, following her latest CLPG Tour victory, Ren indicated that the move into the ranks of the professionals is likely to come sooner rather than later.

“I’ve already planned to turn professional this year,” admitted Ren, in the wake of her Zhejiang Province success that catapulted her 17 spots in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) to 49th – the first time she’s made it into the top-50 in the global standings.

In addition to 11 individual wins in WAGR-counting events over the past three years, during 2025 Ren was a member of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) team that won the Solheim Cup-style Patsy Hankins Trophy against the European Golf Association, and was also part of the China trio that placed joint fourth in the World Amateur Team Championships for the Espirito Santo Trophy.

Given such a glittering resume, it’s easy to understand why Ren might feel there’s not a great deal more for her to achieve as an amateur.

Before being lured to a life of play-for-pay, however, there is one trophy on which Ren would dearly love to have her name inscribed – the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific.

At New Zealand’s Royal Wellington Golf Club from February 12-15 she’ll have the chance to do just that.

As well as bidding to become the first player from China to win the region’s most prestigious amateur crown, Ren acknowledges that the WAAP offers life-changing opportunities to its winner, including exemptions into three Major championships in 2026 – the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, the Amundi Evian Championship in France and the Chevron Championship in the United States.

On the proviso that they remain amateur, the winner will also receive invitations to a handful of other elite championships such as the Hana Financial Group Championship, ISPS HANDA Women’s Australian Open, The 123rd Women’s Amateur Championship and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

Ren, who finished tied 13th on her WAAP debut at Vietnam’s Hoiana Shores Golf Club last year, said: “What’s special is that this tournament (WAAP) is the ‘major’ championship for amateurs in the Asia-Pacific region. If I win, I’ll earn entry into several major tournaments. If I win, I might wait a little longer before turning professional.”

Ominously for her rivals, Ren has been ramping up her practice ahead of the Royal Wellington challenge. Immediately following her win in Ningbo, she participated in a rigorous training camp for the national youth team, organised by China Golf Association.

She said: “I hope I can push myself a little further during the camp and achieve a good result at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship. I’ve visited New Zealand for leisure before. However, it will be my first time to compete in New Zealand, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Ren is among 84 players from 26 Asia-Pacific nations who will contest the eighth edition of the WAAP, a championship which was developed by the APGC and The R&A to nurture talent and provide a pathway for the region’s elite women amateurs to the international stage. 

Whether or not she raises the trophy at Royal Wellington, few doubt that Ren is destined to follow in the footsteps of past WAAP standouts Jeeno Thitikul and Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand, Japan's Yuka Saso and Australian Grace Kim and soon stamp her mark on the LPGA Tour.

*The R&A and APGC are supported by championship event partners that share their commitment to developing golf in the Asia-Pacific. The WAAP championship is proudly supported by Rolex, ISPS Handa, Royal Wellington Golf Club, Samsung, Hana Financial Group, Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings, Peter Millar, New Zealand Mercedes-Benz, Titleist and Tongariro as well as investment partners New Zealand Major Events and Wellington Council.