Six Kiwis invited to Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific

Six Kiwis have been invited to compete at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) in Thailand and compete for a spot in some of women’s golf’s biggest championships, including three majors.

After a successful tournament in 2022, the prestigious women’s event returns to the Waterside Course at Siam Country Club in Pattaya from February 1-4 next year.

Vivian Lu, Eunseo Choi, Amy Im, Carmen Lim, Mimi Guo, and Sumin Kang are looking to earn their place in the Women’s Open in Scotland, the Chevron Championship in the United States and the Evian Championship in France.

As well as earning starts in three of the five majors in women’s golf, the winner also receives an invite to play in the Korean LPGA’s Hana Financial Group Championship and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA).

All six women have played in the tournament previously in the past two years, with Lu, Choi, and Kang all playing in the 2022 WAAP played at next year’s venue.

The WAAP aims to inspire future generations of women golfers and provides the champion with a launchpad into international golf through exemptions into multiple women’s major championships and other elite amateur championships. 

Golf New Zealand high performance manager Gregg Thorpe said that over the last five years, the WAAP has provided a unique opportunity for women’s golf in the Asia-Pacific region. 

“For our emerging talent to be able to challenge themselves on strong layouts against their Asia-Pacific peers while being beamed around the world on live television, the tournament really does give them a sense of what professional golf could be like,’’ Thorpe said.

``It’s an aspirational event while also providing great development opportunities, and for one lucky player, it can be truly life-changing. 

“We commend The R&A and Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation for their vision and for their and their partner’s support in ensuring the event is a success each year.”

Lu and Fiona Xu finished as the low Kiwis at the event held at Siam Country Club last year, finishing in equal 13th.

Lu is looking to better her finish from 2022, and said that having played the course in tournament conditions at this very event will play to her advantage.

“I’m excited to get back to Siam Country Club again,’’ Lu said.

``I’m familiar with the layout and have a good plan of how to approach the golf course. I just need to focus on my preparation, and hopefully, that will put me in good stead for the week.”

The event was first played in 2018 and was won by Atthaya Thittikul, who beat New Zealander Wenyung Keh in a playoff.

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