Singapore: Winning the women’s individual title at last week’s Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Senior Amateur Championship has seen Lisa Herbert’s stock soar - as well as her standing in the game.
Just days after her triumph at Vinpearl Hai Phong in Vietnam, Herbert has gained the distinction of having the biggest improvement of any player in the latest version of the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
Thanks to her victory in the 54-hole event, the New Zealand left-hander has risen 1,179 spots in the WAGR to a career-best position of 1,087th.
At Vinpearl, Herbert fired rounds of 73, 75 and a closing 67 to add the regional title to the New Zealand Women’s Masters she won in April.
In Vietnam, Herbert finished four shots in front of Australian Sue Wooster, the 2023 APGC Women’s Senior Amateur winner. Wooster’s performance saw her move up 30 places to 674th in the WAGR.
There were also significant moves for the leading players from the APGC Men’s Senior Amateur, held concurrently with the Women’s event.
On the back of his six-shot success, the previously unranked Heo Ji-baek has entered the WAGR in 4,685th position.
The 59-year-old Korean will have a chance to make further progress next year when he competes in The R&A British Senior Amateur Championship, a reward for winning in Vietnam where he was the only player to better par in all three rounds.
Meanwhile, three members of the Australian line-up that retained the men’s team title enjoyed notable rises.
Peter Bennett, the individual runner-up, has improved his position by 416 spots to 3,866th, while Ken Brewer, third individually, is up 220 spots to 1,920th.
The biggest mover was David Gannon, who has risen 664 places to 2,785th. He finished joint seventh individually in Vietnam.