Singapore: A quartet of Australian golfers made progress in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) last week.

While Lukas Michel and Lion Higo savoured notable successes in the Australian Master of the Amateurs, Abel Eduard and Sarah Hammett enjoyed triumphs in South Australia.

Michel put on something of a masterclass over the closing holes at Victoria Golf Club in Cheltenham. The reigning US Mid-Amateur champion birdied three of the last four holes in a final round of three-under-par 69. That gave him a six-under aggregate of 282 and a two-shot victory over compatriot Ryan Thomas.

The Melbourne resident edged up two places on this week’s WAGR to 74th. Thomas, meanwhile, climbed 316 spots to 1,411th.

For her part, Higo made a 69-place jump to a career best 561st ranking after a six-shot victory in the Women's Australian Master of The Amateurs, also at the Victoria Golf Club.

The 17-year-old Queenslander birdied three of the last six holes in a closing two-under 70, following earlier scores of 71, 72 and 73. Her two-under 286 was the only sub-par total among the females.

The biggest mover of the week in the men’s standings was Eduard, who soared 1,795 positions to a high of world number 4,244th after his win in the South Australian Junior Masters.

It was Eduard’s second win in his last three tournaments to go with his Victorian Junior Open triumph at the end of last year.

Compatriot Hammett had the honour of being the biggest mover of the week in the women’s ranking after winning the South Australia Junior Amateur Championship. Hammett reached a personal best 1,153rd ranking with a leap of 925 positions.

It was also a good week for Chinese Taipei’s Hou Yu-sang who broke into the world top-30 for the first time.

She improved her ranking by 12 spots to 24th after coming close to defeating the professionals in the Hitachi Ladies Classic in her homeland. Hou finished second.

Hou’s sister, Hou Yu-chiang, remains the leading Asia-Pacific player in the women’s rankings in fifth place, one spot ahead of Australian Gabriela Ruffels and two in front of fellow Chinese Taipei player An Ho-yu.

Japan’s Keita Nakajima continues to top the standings in the men’s rankings with Chinese Taipei’s Yu Chun-an in fourth.