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Emerging talent to take centre stage at Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific championship in New Zealand
05 Feb 26
6 mins
The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) championship will showcase the depth of emerging female golf talent when it is staged at Royal Wellington Golf Club from 12–15 February.
As the renowned New Zealand venue prepares to host four days of world-class amateur golf, the WAAP highlights the talent, ambition and diversity that define the region’s future stars. Among those returning is Singapore’s Xingtong Chen, who will make her fifth appearance at the championship. A consistent performer at WAAP, Chen made history last year as the first Singaporean to reach the final of the US Girls’ Junior Championship and believes the experience gained through repeated exposure to elite competition has been central to her development. Her recent participation in the WAAP Academy at Royal Wellington has provided further valuable preparation ahead of the championship. Chen is joined in the WAAP field by fellow Singaporeans; Aamiya Koul, Amelie Bloosom Ng, Sydnie Ng and Inez Ng who is competing for a record sixth time. China’s contingent arrives in New Zealand carrying strong momentum, underlined by recent success on the CLPG Tour. Sixteen-year-old Yijia Ren made history last week by becoming the first amateur to claim four victories on China’s domestic professional Tour, securing a wire-to-wire win at the Orient Ningbo Challenge.
Yijia Ren made history after winning wire-to-wire win at the Orient Ningbo Challenge.
She is joined at Royal Wellington by Yujie Liu, who recorded her breakthrough CLPG Tour victory last August, reinforcing the growing strength and depth of China’s amateur ranks and their readiness to compete at the highest level.
As well as Ren and Liu, China will be represented by Shiyuan Zhou, Tong An and Menghan Li. Zhou (21st), Liu (46th) and Ren (49th) are all in the top-50 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking®.
Indonesia’s Bianca Naomi Laksono will make her championship debut, inspired by the achievements of Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul, the inaugural Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific champion. Thitikul’s rise from WAAP winner to world number one has become one of the defining success stories of the championship and continues to motivate players across the region.
Laksono hopes her appearance can further elevate the profile of women’s golf in Indonesia and contribute to the championship’s legacy of shaping the future.
Also representing Indonesia are; Gemilau Joanna Kurnia, Abigail Rhea Soeryo Wiharko and Thea Jessica Tan.
Fresh from winning the Trang An – AJGA International Pathway Series tournament last week, Vietnam’s Le An Chuc also returns with a clear ambition. Currently the country’s highest-ranked female amateur, Chuc has steadily progressed on the international stage and produced her strongest WAAP performance to date last year.
Le An Chuc is looking to follow up her impressive performance at WAAP last year.
She views the championship, where she is the sole Vietnamese representative in 2026, as a key opportunity to test herself against the region’s best and to inspire continued growth of the women’s game in Vietnam.
Australia arrives in Wellington with strong depth and momentum, led by Raegan Denton, who has enjoyed an impressive run of form highlighted by victory at the prestigious Australian Master of the Amateurs, where she claimed the women’s title against a high-quality field. Her recent success, combined with consistent performances across elite amateur events, reflects the strength of Australia’s development pathway and positions her as a player to watch in Wellington.
Denton is joined by a group of highly regarded Australian amateurs including Ella Scaysbrook, Rachel Lee, Shyla Singh, Grace Rho and Jazy Roberts, who finished tied fourth last year.
Like Denton, Scaysbrook will not be short of confidence in New Zealand having successfully defended her Avondale Bowl title in Sydney last week.
Raegan Denton arrives at Royal Wellington in great form. (Photo: Golf Australia)
The field features 84 players from 26 Asia-Pacific nations who will assemble in Wellington, reflecting both the championship’s competitive strength and its growing regional reach. The full field for the 2026 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific is now available here.
The WAAP was developed by The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) to nurture talent and provide a pathway for the region’s elite women amateurs to the international stage and the rewards on offer are significant. The champion will earn exemptions into three major championships in 2026, the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, The Amundi Evian Championship in France and the Chevron Championship in the United States.
The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship is proudly supported by Rolex, ISPS Handa, Royal Wellington Golf Club, Samsung, Hana Financial Group, Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings, Peter Millar, Titleist, Sparms, New Zealand Mercedes-Benz and Tongariro, as well as investment partners New Zealand Major Events and Wellington Council and host association Golf New Zealand.