SINGAPORE. – The Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific Championship tees off Thursday at the Singapore Island Golf Club’s The New Course here with three of the world’s top 10 from Japan leading the chase along with solid Korean, New Zealand and Thailand contingents, defending champion Ting-Hsuan Huang from Taiwan and a host of others eyeing an impressive win.
On top of the crown, also at stake are berths for this year’s AIG Women’s Open, the US Women’s Open and the Evian Championship, three of the five major championships on the LPGA Tour calendar.
The champion will also clinch a spot in the Augusta National Women’s Championship, featuring the world’s top amateurs, with the final round to be played at the famous Augusta National on April 1 in Georgia.
“Knowing that such life-changing opportunities are at stake in winning this event, I’ll be playing my best and not put any pressure on my side,” said Rianne Malixi, who tied for third in Thailand last year after debuting with a joint 23rd place finish in UAE in 2021. “I’m not expecting anything but setting goals is the best option for me.”
Given the depth of the competing field, Malixi and fellow ICTSI-backed Mafy Singson and Cebuanas Lois Kaye Go and Junia Gabasa will need to dish out their very best but also draw the needed breaks in what promises to be a stern test of skills and character in the next four days.
World No. 4 Rin Yoshida, No. 5 Yuna Araki and No. 10 Sayaka Teraoka, all from Japan, seek strong starts to fuel their respective title drive and so do the Koreans, led by world No. 16 Minsol Kim, No. 19 Jiyoo Lim and No. 64 Kyorim Seo, while Thais Kan Bunnabodee, Pattharat Rattanawan, Eila Galitsky, Prim Prachnakorn and Navaporn Soontreeyapas also set out for the mission of re-claiming the crown won by compatriot Atthaya Thitikul six years ago.
Huang expects to get better and stronger as she shoots for back-to-back championship, while world No. 15 Mizuki Hashimoto, also from Japan, seeks to do a reprise of her breakthrough feat in 2021.
Malixi drew Hashimoto and Bunnabodee in the last flight at 12:36 p.m. on No. 10, Singson faces Kiwi Amy Im and Indonesian Patricia Sinolungan at 8:14 a.m., also at the backside; Go battles Galitsky and Hong Kong’s Wai Ding at 12:25 p.m. on No. 1, and Gabasa clashes with Taniya Balasuriya of Sri Lanka and Singapore’s Anne Fernandez at 7:41 a.m., also on the 10th hole.
