Singapore: Teenage Chinese prodigy Zhou Shiyuan, one of the most exciting prospects in women’s golf, will showcase her talent in next month’s Patsy Hankins Trophy.
The 14-year-old has gained international headlines in recent months with back-to-back victories against the professionals on the China LPGA Tour.
Now, Zhou is looking forward to being a cornerstone of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) team that will be bidding to regain the Patsy Hankins Trophy in the United Arab Emirates from January 8-10.
"We're delighted to welcome Shiyuan to the team. She's enjoyed a remarkable run of success in 2024 and will, I'm sure, be a huge asset to the Asia-Pacific line-up," said Joanne McKee, the APGC's non-playing captain for the Solheim Cup-style match play contest against the European Golf Association.
It was on October 25, at the age of 14 years, 10 months and eight days, that Zhou wrote her name into the history books when she fired a flawless closing nine-under-par 63 at the Zhangjiagang Shuangshan Challenge to become the youngest winner on the China LPGA Tour.
A fortnight later, Zhou upstaged the China LPGA professionals once more, winning the Kove China Sports Lottery Chongqing Women’s Open after a sudden-death play-off.
Those triumphs have not only seen Zhou’s profile rise, but also her standing in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
In the space of the past month, Zhou has soared more than 90 places to 75th in the WAGR, making her the top-rated mainland Chinese player in the standings.
Joining her in the APGC’s Patsy Hankins Trophy team is compatriot Ren Yijia, a friend and rival who is an equally precocious talent.
Like Zhou, Ren has the distinction of having won on the China LPGA Tour this year, capturing the Beijing Women’s Challenge in May shortly before she turned 15.
She also got the better of Zhou at last month’s HSBC China Junior Golf Open in Shanghai. There, Ren posted a closing eight-under-par 64 to overturn a six-stroke overnight deficit to Zhou and retain the title she won in 2023.
"There are so many talented young female golfers emerging from China and Shiyuan and Yijia are leading the charge. We are thrilled to have them both in our team that is attempting to regain the Patsy Hankins Trophy," said McKee.
Zhou’s call-up came following the withdrawal due to injury of Korean Oh Soo-min.
“Soo-min needs to rest well and have time for treatment on her injury. In her current state, she does not believe she would be helpful to the Asia-Pacific team,” said a spokesperson for the Korea Golf Association.
Ninth in the latest WAGR, Oh has won five times in 2024, including being low individual at the Queen Sirikit Cup and the World Junior Girls’ Championship.
Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Patsy Hankins Trophy Team
(Nationality and World Amateur Golf Ranking as of November 27 in brackets)
Mirabel Ting (Malaysia, 5); Eila Galitsky (Thailand, 19); Mamika Shinichi (Japan, 37); Cindy Hsu Huai-chien (Chinese Taipei, 39); Suvichaya Vinichaitham (Thailand, 44); Arianna Lau (Hong Kong China, 57); Jeong Min-seo (Korea, 60); Vivian Lu (New Zealand, 74); Zhou Shiyuan (China, 75); Sophie Han (Hong Kong China, 112); Ren Yijia (China, 119); Aira Nagasawa (Japan, 124).