Ting-Hsuan Huang won the 2022 Asia Pacific Women's Amateur Championship (WAAP) and clinched her first title for Chinese Taipei at Siam Country Club in Thailand.

TING-HSUAN-HUANG-SEALS-THE-VICTORY-U-LASIA-PACIFIC-AMATEUR-CHAMPIONSHIP.

-Ting-Hsuan Huang, winner of the 2022 Asia-Pacific Women's Amateur Championship.

Facing home favorite Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, young Huang from Chinese Taipei prevailed in Thailand to win the 2022 Asia Pacific Women's Amateur Championship. Rebounding from a slow start, she posted six birdies over the last 11 holes and signed a final card of 69 (-3) for a total of -11. It was two shots better than the Thai star, who closed his round with a 71.

Korea's Hyosong Lee tied the best run of the day, with a 66 (-6), to move up to third place tied at -7, ahead of Japan's Yuna Araki (69) and Philippines' Rianne Mikhaela Malixi (72) .

Huang, nine times victorious and author of 23 top ten over the past two years, will do her 2023 season at UCLA (University of Los Angeles - California) and has obtained two major invitations for the AIG Women's Open and the Amundi Evian Championship – as well as the Hana Financial Group Championship and an invitation to play in the Augusta National Women's Amateur (ANWA).

“Being able to play in a major is truly a dream come true for me. I would like to thank The R&A and the APGC for giving us this opportunity”said Huang.

“I had no expectations this week. I just wanted to play golf and have fun on the course. To be able to win is amazing. »

Huang, who is 83rd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), started the day tied for the lead at eight under par but slipped far behind with bogeys on the 1st and 4th holes. Vongtaveelap, on the other hand, birdied the second hole and then perfectly executed his second shot from 113 yards on the third hole to secure a four-stroke lead at the height of the day.

TING-HSUAN-HUANG-SEALS-THE-VICTORY-U-ASIAN-PACIFIC-AMATEUR-CHAMPIONSHIP

-Chinese Taipei native Ting-Hsuan Huang celebrates winning the Asia-Pacific Women's Amateur Championship.-

Despite the birdies on the eighth and ninth holes, Huang was still trailing her Thai partners (Suvichaya Vinijchaitham being the third player in the lead group) when the group reached the par-12 3th hole. On the toughest hole on the course, Huang may have played the critical hit of the game when she birdied from the bunker. Vongtaveelap made a bogey and Vinijchaitham slipped with a double bogey.

Vongtaveelap's greatest strength - her heavy hitting ability has become the flaw in her armor. She started the day playing it safe on the par-5s, and then when she tried to attack the green on the 15th a par-4, where the tee went 280 yards, she dropped her shot. start to the right and could no longer make par. On par 5 of 18, trying to make a big tee shot, she lost her balance slightly, leaving her to settle for a par to close.

The 38th-ranked Thai in the WAGR had a golden chance to tie to share the lead in the final, but she pushed her putt for par.

Huang, who grew up idolizing Chinese Taipei legend and five-time Major champion Yani Tseng, hit a brilliant third shot in the pouring rain to set up a final birdie from under a yard. Vongtaveelap again missed a putt from 1.20 meters and could not resist the pressure of Huang the champion of Chinese Taipei.

 “I felt very nervous because Sim put pressure on me on the closing holes. I didn't do very well on the first 9 holes of the first leg, but I was thinking very positively about the next 9 holes”, Huang said.

“The shot of 12 was decisive, because I was very lucky, because my ball was in a footprint. But on the 18 (third move), I didn't think too much. I felt confident on this one. »

Vongtaveelap, 19, who was also second in the championship last year in Abu Dhabi, was disappointed with her result and said: “I did my best today and my game was good. I think I lost the tournament because of my game but I didn't handle the pressure well. I could feel my swing was getting too fast and aggressive.”

“Huang is a tough competitor, and she is very good and I think I will learn a lot from this tournament”, said Vongtaveelap, who will play the LPGA Stage 2 qualifier in Florida.

2021 Abu Dhabi champion Mizuki Hashimoto birdied 17 par in her final to tie for ninth at five under par. Saki Baba, the highest-ranked player on the court at No. XNUMX in the WAGR who was struggling to make birdies, finally found her touch and birdied six in a bogey-less round that lifted her to tied sixth place with six shots under par.

The WAAPP was developed by The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) to inspire future generations of female golfers and provide the champion with an unrivaled launch pad early in her career through byes in several women's major championships and other elite amateur championships.

The Asia-Pacific Women's Amateur Championship is proudly supported by Rolex, Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings, Trust Golf, Hana Financial Group and Samsung.

To know more about the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific click here:

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