Chinese Taipei’s Chun-Wei Wu survived a tense final round to pull off the biggest upset in Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship history in Pattaya, Thailand.
A modest 264th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, the 19-year-old endured moments of high stress before completing a wire-to-wire success at Siam Country Club’s Waterside Course, upstaging a star-studded lineup.
Struggling to find the free-wheeling form she displayed over the first three days, Wu closed with a nervous even-par 72 to secure a victory that will catapult her into the global spotlight in 2024.
Four shots clear of the field following the opening 54 holes – during which she dropped only one stroke – Wu wobbled with four bogeys on a final day rollercoaster ride.
With her lead reduced to a single stroke after 14 holes of the final round, Wu displayed her mettle, digging deep to make crucial birdies at the 15th and 17th, where she began celebrating even before her 28-footer reached its intended target.
“Incredible! This is the first time I’ve won a big tournament,” said Wu, whose 72-hole aggregate of 18-under-par 270 was two strokes clear of runner-up Hyosong Lee, a 15-year-old Korean.
Thailand’s Achiraya Sriwong was a further stroke back in third after a 66, the best round of the final day, and fellow Thai Pimpisa Rubrong in fourth on 14-under 274. Rianne Mikhaela Malixi of the Philippines and Korean Minsol Kim ended joint fifth on 13-under.
As well as bettering the previous best WAAP winning total of 272 set by Mizuki Hashimoto at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in 2021, Wu is only the second champion to lead on all four days, following Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul in Singapore in 2018. Earlier in the week, Wu also set championship records for best 36-hole score (132), best middle 36-hole score (131) and best 54-hole score (198).
In addition to winning the Rae-Vadee T. Suwan Champion’s Medal, Wu will be rewarded with starts in three major championships in 2024: the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews, the Amundi Evian Championship in France and the Chevron Championship in the United States.
Furthermore, she’ll receive invitations to a number of other elite tournaments including the Hana Financial Group Championship, ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, the 121st Women’s Amateur Championship and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Thailand’s Eila Galitsky ended her reign as champion with a 70 to finish in a share of 26th place on 4-under 284 – three shots behind Japan’s Mizuki Hashimoto, the 2021 champion, who ended tied 14th.
This week’s starting lineup consisted of 90 players representing 22 countries and territories. Among them were 10 of the top-50 and 21 of the top-100 in the latest WAGR standings.
In the first five editions of the WAAP, players from Thailand (Thitikul and Galitsky), Japan (Yuka Yasuda and Hashimoto) and Chinese Taipei (Ting-hsuan Huang) held aloft the trophy.
The WAAP championship was developed by the R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation to inspire future generations of female golfers. The R&A is supported by championship event partners that share its commitment to developing golf in the Asia-Pacific. The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship is proudly supported by Hana Financial Group, ISPS Handa, Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings, Puma, Samsung, Singha, Ricoh and Rolex.
For more information on the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific, visit the championship website at www.randa.org/WAAP.
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