Avani heads Indian challenge at regional women’s amateur c’ship

From a Correspondent

Pattaya, Thailand: India’s top-ranked amateur Avani Prashanth will be fully stretched by the quality field assembled for the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship here from Thursday.

Avani, world ranked 115 will be in the first group to start from the 10^th tee at the Siam Country Club in Pattaya.

Avani, who finished tied for 16th at the WAAP last year in Abu Dhabi, has since played in 10 international events outside India.

At the Ladies European Tour-sanctioned Hero Women’s Indian Open in India last month, she was tied for 12^th place with the equal best round on the last day of five-under 67, giving her quality recent exposure.

Besides the Bangalore teenager, other Indians in the field are Sifat Sagoo, T25 last year, Kriti Chowhan (T34), Nishna Patel, who missed the cut, and newcomers Mannat Brar and Ceerat Kang.

The tournament features 86 players from 21 countries, fully 20 of whom are inside the top 100 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

At the top of the pile is Japan’s world number four and US Amateur Championship winner Saki Baba, followed by countrywoman Yuna Araki (12). and South Koreans Jiyoo Lim (14) and Minsol Kim (22).

Defending champion Mizuki Hashimoto of Japan is world-ranked 18^th this time and is in the field too.

Interestingly, every member of the seven-strong Japanese team holds a ranking inside the top 100 in the world, an indication of how strong the country’s amateur programme is.

Handsome reward

Rich rewards await the winner, who gets to play in two Majors – the AIG Women’s Open and the Amundi Evian Open – besides the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA) and the Hana Financial Group Championship.

Avani said, “I think playing with the best last year, I definitely had a couple of areas to work on.

“They have gotten much better this year. So I think I definitely have a better chance to win it this year than I did last year.

Avani, who turned 16 last month, commenting on the course, added, “The 8th and 9th are super difficult because you’re hitting directly into the wind, and then a couple of holes on the back nine.

“I think, if I take care of those maybe four or five holes, I’m really going to end up playing well this week.

“So we’re getting a lot of long clubs in because of the amount of wind that’s there. To hit long irons well and not drop any unnecessary shots would be my main target.

“I also need to take advantage of the holes that are short. It would be great if I don’t drop any shots there.”
Sifat Sagoo, who studies and plays golf at Purdue University, arrived late on Tuesday after flying for 23 hours from the US. She is hoping to get some rest ahead of the first round.

Huge lift

The event received a big boost with news that Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul, the first WAAP champion in 2018 and runner-up in 2019, this week attained world no. 1 status.

Atthaya, now 19, in her first pro season on the Ladies European Tour won the Race to the Costa del Sol (Order of Merit), Rookie of the Year, and Player of the Year Awards.

So far in 2022, she has won twice in her first LPGA Tour season and become only the second player to rank world no. 1, while still under 20.

Martin Slumbers, chief executive of event organisers The R&A, said, “We had great hopes when we played the first WAAP championship in 2018 because we knew how many talented women amateurs there are in this region.

“We thought there were players who could progress to the highest levels of the sport in time but the speed at which some of them have succeeded has been incredible.”

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