Danang, Vietnam: The R&A and Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) have launched the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) Academy to support the development of world-class players in countries throughout the region.
The initiative, funded by Samsung and The R&A Foundation, builds upon the success of the WAAP championship, which was introduced in 2018 to provide a pathway for the region’s elite women amateurs to reach the international stage and earn life-changing opportunities to play in three Major championships.
Golfers are invited to take part in a week-long programme under the guidance of leading instructors and experts who specialise in strength and conditioning, sports psychology, data analysis and bio-metrics, and short game and swing technique.
The first cohort attended the Siam Country Club in Thailand in December last year.
Dominic Wall, Regional Managing Director – Asia-Pacific at The R&A, said: “The growth of golf in countries around the world is core to our purpose and this includes supporting young golfers in their development by providing more opportunities to nurture their skills, both on and off the course.
“Access to a world-class coaching environment is not always possible in some countries and so establishing the WAAP Academy is an important step towards ensuring that players have access to guidance and expertise from qualified coaches who will work with them closely to develop their physical and mental capabilities. We have already seen its benefits with two, top-10 players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking attend.
“I would like to thank Samsung and The R&A Foundation for supporting the WAAP Academy, and Siam Country Club for hosting the inaugural gathering and to all the coaches involved in the initiative.”
Ahead of the seventh edition of the WAAP at the Hoiana Shores Golf Club in Vietnam next month, the inaugural Academy proved a success.
The six-day gathering brought together 13 players, including Malaysian Mirabel Ting and Rianne Malixi of the Philippines, third and fourth respectively in the WAGR, who benefitted from a week of world-class instruction in various aspects of the game.
Malixi, winner of the US Women’s Amateur and US Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship last year, said: “This is certainly giving us an advantage because we’ve learned so much from this Academy. This will help us to grow as people and as players. We can use the lessons we learned when we’re out on the course.”
Also attending the Academy were Malixi’s compatriots Junia Gabasa and Grace Quintanilla, the Vietnamese trio of Nguyen Viet Gai Han, An Le Chuc and Anna Le, Indians Zara Anand and Mannat Brar, the United Arab Emirates duo of Jamie Camero and Intissar Rich, Pakistan’s Parkha Ijaz and Indonesian Thea Jessica Tan.
Echoing the sentiments of all the players, Pakistan’s Ijaz said: “It was a really nice experience and I’m so grateful to receive this opportunity. The coaches are so good. They’ve taught us about course planning and management and how to prepare your body before a tournament.”
Australian Gareth Jones, Head Coach of the Japan National Team, was one of the expert coaches at the Academy. He said: “We have many countries with highly-developed programmes. But bringing some of the coaching information, the technology, the resources that The R&A have been able to put together is really going to help our next level of countries get to the highest level.”
Also in attendance was Thailand’s Virada Nirapathpongporn, a former US Women’s Amateur champion who has been coach and mentor to many of her country’s elite young players. She added: “I really liked how these 13 girls who flew here from different corners of the world came together, how they interacted, made friends and helped each other learn. I think they really learned from each other. It was a good group of girls and a great thing to see. I look forward to many more of these Academies to come.”
