Hai Phong, Vietnam: Fresh from her stunning success at the 2024 Australian Senior Amateur, Gemma Dooley is seeking more glory at this week’s Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Senior Amateur Championships.

In last year’s APGC championships at Vinpearl Resort and Golf Nam Hoi An in Quang Nam, Dooley finished runner-up to compatriot Sue Wooster.

In the coming days, Dooley is aiming to go one better at Vinpearl Golf Hai Phong.

The Sydneysider has arrived in Vietnam in high spirits having pulled off a significant upset in the 2024 Australian Senior Amateur championship at Links Lady Bay a fortnight ago.

On a dramatic final-day, Dooley overturned an overnight deficit to overhaul Wooster and Nadene Gole, the two dominant forces in women’s senior golf in Australia in recent years.

“It was such a nerve-wracking day. I can’t tell you how excited I was to win this event,” said Dooley, who pipped Wooster on the first hole of a sudden-death play-off.

Gole, a member of the Australian line-up that won the inaugural APGC Women’s Senior Team Championship in Malaysia in 2022 and victorious this year in both The R&A Women’s Senior Amateur and the US Senior Women’s Amateur, missed the play-off by one shot.

Reflecting on her Australian victory, Dooley added: “I still can’t believe I beat the pair of them. Sue and Nadene are such great golfers. I’ve had such respect for them and they’re an inspiration in terms of the way they play their golf.

“I’ve been battling with Sue for more than a decade now, and had never beaten her in a tournament. She beat me in a play-off at the Australian Mid-Amateur earlier in the year so I was happy I could turn that around.”

On the back of her triumph, Dooley rose 49 places in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), moving her to a career-high of 268th. Only Gole among seniors is above her in the standings.

While Dooley and Wooster will be among the favourites for individual glory at Vinpearl Hai Phong, they’ll also be hoping to complete a hat-trick of victories in the team championship.

In 2022, the Australian team was made up of Wooster, Gole and Jacqueline Morgan.

Last year’s winning team comprised Wooster, Dooley and Louise Mullard, the same trio that will represent them this week in the 54-hole event in which the two best daily scores in each three-strong team are counted.

Other countries participating in the women’s event are Guam, Hong Kong China, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore and Vietnam.

Meanwhile, the men’s event will feature 13 countries – Australia, Bangladesh, Guam, Hong Kong China, India, Korea, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

The field includes Stuart Duff of New Zealand, the 2019 champion and joint runner-up last year, Singapore’s Jimmy Aw, runner-up in 2022, Hong Kong China’s Doug Williams, equal third in last week’s Singapore Open Senior Amateur, and General Abdullah Al Hashmi, Senior Division winner at the inaugural UAE Cup last week.

In the four-man team event in which the three best daily scores are counted, Australia, bidding for a third consecutive title, will be represented by Peter Bennett, Ken Brewer, Bradley Dowling and David Gannon.