Taiheiyo Club Minori Course to Host 2027 WAAP

Tokyo, Japan: The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) have announced that the ninth edition of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) championship will be held at the Taiheiyo Club Minori Course in Japan from April 22-25, 2027.
 
This will be the second time Japan has hosted the championship which aims to inspire future generations of women golfers and has evolved into the pre-eminent women’s amateur championship in the Asia-Pacific region.

Each year, WAAP provides the champion with life-changing opportunities through exemptions into three women’s Major championships and elite amateur championships. 
 
The winner will be invited to compete in the AIG Women’s Open, the Chevron Championship and Amundi Evian Championship. They will also receive invitations to the Hana Financial Group Championship, ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, The 123rd Women’s Amateur Championship and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
 
Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A, said: “Japan has played a significant role in the success of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship and we are excited to be returning there in 2027. Women’s golf is strong in Japan and you just have to look at the success of Major champions Yuka Saso, Ayaka Furue and, of course, our current AIG Women’s Open champion Miyu Yamashita to see the impact they have had on the world stage.

“We are extremely grateful to Taiheiyo Club for its tremendous support of amateur golf and look forward to the Minori Course providing an outstanding stage for the best women’s amateurs in the region at next year’s WAAP.”

Philip Hassall, Chairman of the APGC, added: “The profile of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific as the pre-eminent championship for elite women amateur golfers in our region will be further elevated in 2027 when we visit Taiheiyo Club’s acclaimed Minori Course.

“The combination of an outstanding venue, a world-class field, extensive global exposure and gracious Japanese hospitality will ensure another memorable chapter in the history of this fabulous championship.”

Taiheiyo Club Minori Course is located on the Kanto Plain of Japan and has hosted the LPGA Tour’s Toto Japan Classic on four occasions, most recently in 2023 when WAAP alumna Mone Inami claimed victory. Its experience in staging elite international competitions makes it a fitting venue for the 2027 WAAP.

Shun Han, President of the Taiheiyo Club, said: “Next year, the ninth Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship will be held at Taiheiyo Club Minori Course. This will be the second time the championship has been held in Japan, and it is a great honour.

“I am delighted that through the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship we will be able to introduce Minori Course, one of Japan's top tournament courses, to the world.

“I would like to thank the founding partners, The R&A’s Chief Executive Mark Darbon and Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Chairman Philip Hassall, and the entire team for giving us this wonderful opportunity.”

Last played in Japan in 2019, local favourite Yuka Yasuda won by a record eight strokes over Jeeno Thitikul who was attempting to defend her title at The Royal Golf Club. In claiming the WAAP title, Yasuda also recorded the greatest comeback by a champion after she was eight shots behind the first-round leader and still four strokes off the pace after 36 holes.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Yasuda said: “I was able to win the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific held at The Royal Golf Club in 2019. I was incredibly happy to win on such a grand stage, and it remains a fond memory to this day.

“I’m glad I was able to win. There were some very bad weather days during the championship, but I persevered, which led to the incredible victory. Even now, as a professional, that experience has inspired me to fight to the end, no matter what.

“The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific will be held in Japan again next year in 2027. I hope that many Japanese players will perform well and liven up the championship.”

The WAAP was developed by The R&A and the APGC to unearth emerging talent and provide a route for Asia’s elite women amateurs to the international stage.

Alongside Saso and Furue, notable past WAAP competitors include fellow Major champions Patty Tavatanakit, who competed in 2018 before going onto win the 2021 ANA Inspiration which is now known as the Chevron Championship, and current Amundi Evian Championship winner Grace Kim of Australia who competed in 2018 and 2019. Current world number one Jeeno was the inaugural, and remains the youngest, winner of the championship in 2018. 

The WAAP is proudly supported by Rolex, ISPS Handa, Royal Wellington Golf Club, Samsung, Hana Financial Group, Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings, Peter Millar, Titleist, Sparms,