Augusta, Georgia, United States: Jeneath Wong will join eight members of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation’s (APGC) triumphant Patsy Hankins Trophy team at next month’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA).
Malaysian Wong secured her place in the elite field courtesy of her stunning success in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) in Vietnam a fortnight ago.
Beginning the week prior to the 89th Masters Tournament, the ANWA’s international field of 72 players will compete across 54 holes of stroke play, with a cut to 30 players and ties taking place after 36 holes.
The first two rounds will take place on the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club (April 2-3). The entire field will then play Augusta National for an official practice round on April 4. The final round, featuring competitors who made the cut, will take place on Saturday, April 5 at Augusta National.
With the late edition of Wong, there will be a total of 16 players representing 10 APGC member nations in the starting line-up – three each from Japan and Thailand; two from Korea and Malaysia and one each from Australia, China, Hong Kong China, Chinese Taipei, New Zealand and the Philippines.
Among them are Malaysian Mirabel Ting, Thais Eila Galitsky and Suvichaya Vinijchaitham, Hong Kong China’s Arianna Lau, Japanese Mamika Shinchi, Chinese Taipei’s Cindy Hsu Huai-chien, Korean Jung Min-seo and China’s Zhou Shiyuan.
All eight played important roles in the APGC’s thrashing of their European Golf Association rivals in the fourth edition of the Solheim Cup-style Patsy Hankins Trophy in the United Arab Emirates in January.
Joining them in Augusta will be the Japanese duo of Tsubasa Kajitani and Ko Kurabayashi, Australian Sarah Hammett, Korean Oh Soo-min, New Zealand’s Eunseo Choi, Rianne Malixi of the Philippines and Thai Achiraya Sriwong.
Of the 16-strong Asia-Pacific contingent heading to Augusta, three were in the top-10 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) as of March 17 – Ting (#3); Malixi (#4); and Oh (#8).
A further eight were in the top-50 – Galitsky (#18); Suvichaya (#19); Shinchi (#37); Jung (#38); Hsu (#39); Achiraya (#40); Ko (#41); Lau (#42) – followed by Zhou (#51); Choi (#62); Hammett (#68); Wong (#78).
Only one of the Asia-Pacific representatives does not currently feature in the WAGR, that dubious distinction belonging to Kajitani, who will be making her third start in the ANWA.
Her place in golf’s record books is already assured having defeated American Emilia Migliaccio in a play-off to become the Augusta National Women's Amateur’s first international champion in 2021.
Her victory was part of a historic year for golf in Japan with Hideki Matsuyama winning the Masters, Mone Inami claiming the silver medal at the Olympics in Tokyo and Keita Nakajima winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship as the top-ranked amateur in the world.
As the reigning champion in 2021, Kajitani made the cut in both the Amundi Evian Championship in France and the Japan Women’s Open. Since then, though, her star has faded. Having missed the cut in the ANWA in 2023, this year presents an opportunity for Kajitani to show her career is getting back on track.
The ANWA, which has hosted the top women amateurs in golf since 2019, is celebrating its sixth edition this year.
The inaugural championship in 2019 was won by future Major champion Jennifer Kupcho before the 2020 ANWA was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kajitani kick-started a historic April in 2021, capturing the first title for Japan at Augusta National eight days prior to Matsuyama’s win at the Masters Tournament.
In 2022, 16-year-old Anna Davis became the event’s youngest winner after a final-round 69. After almost three years as the top-ranked amateur in the world, Rose Zhang put a bow on her amateur career with a play-off victory in 2023.
Last year, England’s Lottie Woad became the first European champion of the event in dramatic fashion with birdies at 17 and 18 to win by one stroke.
