Korea’s Youmin Hwang andChina’s Xiaowen Yin lead a strong field as the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship (WAAP) gets underway at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on Wednesday, with four local golfers also hoping for glory as they represent the UAE in one of the most important tournament s on the calendar for players in the Asia-Pacific region.
Hwang and Yin, the fourth and seventh ranked players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, will feature in the third edition of the championship organised by The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), while the hosts will be represented by UAE national team regulars Alia Al Emadi and Hamda Al Suwaidi, as well as India’s Natalii Gupta and Hannah Cheryl Alan, who have been nominated by Emirates Golf Federation.
All will be battling it out for an important win which would secure places in three major championships -the AIG Women’s Open, The Amundi Evian Championship and the Hana Financial Group Championship, as well as an invitation to play in the prestigious Augusta National Women’s Amateur. A total of 78 players from 24 APGC nations are taking part this week.
The championship was won in its inaugural year by Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul, who is currently leading the LET’s Race to Costa Del Sol ranking, and by Japan’s Yuka Yasuda in 2019, while Yuka Saso of the Philippines and Thailand’s Patty Tavanakit both became major winners this year after playing the inaugural WAAP in Singapore.
Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive at The R&A, said, “Our aims for this championship are to provide a platform for talented players and, in many cases, aspiring professionals to shine while also inspiring emerging players to learn to compete at the highest level.”
Taimur Hassan, chairman of APGC, added, “Over the years, our women players have led the way in major professional championships or global amateur events. We had a wonderful week with our men’s event in Dubai last week and we hope to continue the same at the fantastic Abu Dhabi Golf Club with our leading women golfers. With the help of the Emirates Golf Federation we are able to host this wonderful championship once again.”
The four days of the championship will be broadcast live for four hours from 6am-10am GMT (10am-2pm UAE time) on TV across the region, as well as live streamed through TheR&A’sYouTubeandFacebookchannelsand on RandA.org. This continues The R&A’s summer of live golf coverage after the finals of The 118th Women’s Amateur Championship and The 126th Amateur Championship as well as the 41st Curtis Cup were also digitally broadcast on all these channels.
The WAAP was developed by The R&A and APGC to unearth emerging talent and provide a pathway for Asia’s elite women amateurs to the international stage. The R&A launched the Women in Golf Charter in 2018 and is committed to increasing the participation of women in the sport. The WAAP is one of several key championships conducted by the governing body and a significant initiative along with the APGC to drive the popularity of women’s golf in the region.
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 Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Hana Financial Group, Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings, Rolex, Samsung and Trust Golf.
For more information on the championship, visit the website at randa.org/WAAP. For updates, like the championship’s Facebook page and follow @WAAPGolf on Twitter and Instagram.
