Singapore: China’s Ding Wenyi and Korean Kim Min-sol will end 2023 with the distinction of being the highest-rated Asia-Pacific players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

While Ding is 13th in the men’s rankings, Kim is third in the women’s standings.

Although many of the region’s elite male and female players relinquished their amateur status in the final quarter of 2023, the Asia-Pacific remains well represented in the WAGR.

Among the men, there are five Asia-Pacific players in the top-50 and 13 in the top-100 – four each from China and Japan, two from Thailand and one apiece from Australia, Chinese Taipei and Singapore.

Among the women, there is an even greater presence of Asia-Pacific players in the top echelons with no fewer than 15 of the top-50 from the region and 35 featuring in the top-100.

Ding, now aged 18, created history in 2022 when he won the 74th US Junior Amateur, becoming the first Chinese male USGA champion.

His excellent form continued this year. As well as leading the DP World Tour’s Singapore Classic at Laguna National Golf Resort Club after 36 holes in February, he enjoyed a top-10 finish against the professionals in the Volvo China Open.

That came just a week after he was edged out for the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship title by Australian Jasper Stubbs in a play-off at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

This year also proved to be an outstanding one for big-hitting Korean Kim.

In February, she was a member of the three-strong Korean team that triumphed in the Queen Sirikit Cup at Manila Southwoods in the Philippines.

The following month she was runner-up in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific at the Singapore Island Country Club.

Although an individual medal eluded her, Kim was a part of the silver medal-winning Korean team at the Hangzhou Asian Games before playing a central role in her country’s gold medal-winning performance in the 30th World Amateur Team Championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in late October.

She also represented the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation in the Solheim Cup-style Patsy Hankins Trophy against the European Golf Association in Spain in August.

TOP-10 ASIA-PACIFIC MEN IN WORLD AMATEUR GOLF RANKING

1, Ding Wenyi (China, 13)
2, Kohei Okada (Japan, 23)
3, Samspson Zheng Yunhe (China, 27)
4, Karl Vilips (Australia, 30)
5, Phichaksn Maichon (Thailand, 46)
6, Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat (Thailand, 51)
7, Chang Xihuan (China, 57)
8, Chuan Tai-lin (Chinese Taipei, 60)
9, Hiroshi Tai (Singapore, 64)
10, Zhou Yanhan (China, 82)

TOP-10 ASIA-PACIFIC WOMEN IN WORLD AMATEUR GOLF RANKING

1, Kim Min-sol (Korea, 3)
2, Yuna Araki (Japan, 8)
3, Hinano Muguruma (Japan, 21)
4, Sayaka Teraoka (Japan, 22)
5, Fuka Suga (Japan, 24)
6, Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (Australia, 25)
7, Kokoro Nakamura (Japan, 30)
8, Saori Iijima (Japan, 33)
9, Mamika Shinchi (Japan, 39)
10, Rin Yoshida (Japan, 40)