Defending champion Jeneath Wong joins Charlayne Chong and Foong Zi Yu in weekend rounds in Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific
THREE Malaysian golfers successfully navigated challenging conditions to advance into the weekend rounds of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP), though defending champion Jeneath Wong faces an uphill battle sitting 14 shots behind leader Yang Yunseo of Korea at Royal Wellington Golf Club.
Wong carded a 1-over 73 in Friday’s second round for a 36-hole aggregate of 145, while compatriots Charlayne Chong Shin Ling (74) and Foong Zi Yu (77) also made the cut at 145 and 150 respectively. However, Nur Diana Syafiqah Abdullah (81) and Nur Maisara Sa’ad (77) were eliminated.
Yang Sets Championship Record
Overnight leader Yang fired a second-round 67 to add to her opening 64, establishing a new 36-hole championship record of 13-under 131—three strokes clear of compatriot Kim Gyu Been (65) and the Philippines’ Rianne Malixi (66).
Defending Champion Struggles in Brutal Conditions
After becoming the first Malaysian to win the WAAP in Vietnam last year, the 21-year-old Wong has yet to find her rhythm in her bid to become the tournament’s first repeat champion. Her round of 73 included two birdies offset by three bogeys.
The Pepperdine University senior faced severe weather conditions that made scoring difficult.
“Made some silly mistakes I guess. I managed to come back a bit, but today’s pin positions and weather was definitely hard,” said Wong. “Just as we were about to tee off, it was kind of like white rain. You couldn’t see anything. Tee box was flooding. I thought it was going to suspend a little, but nothing. Just kept going.”
Starting from the 10th tee, Wong made the turn in 37 with a bogey on the 16th before exchanging birdies on the second and seventh holes with dropped shots on the first and ninth.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s third round, Wong is targeting a more aggressive approach.
“Since it’s moving day, definitely make a bit more birdies and probably try for harder birdies,” she said.
Charlayne Achieves Breakthrough
For 23-year-old Charlayne Chong, making the cut represented a significant milestone in her third WAAP appearance. Her 74 included two birdies, two bogeys, and one double bogey as she battled the elements.
“It was a struggle to be very honest because I couldn’t get my warmup routine as I did yesterday, because of the rain. It was pouring, so I didn’t do much putting and I could only do and figure out things during my round,” explained Chong.
The Malaysian golfer noted that the severe conditions were unlike anything she typically encounters at home.
“We’ve never really had this kind of conditions, extreme conditions in Malaysia. Usually with this kind of rain, we wouldn’t be able to play. I couldn’t make my birdies to be honest, until my last hole,” she said.
Foong Scrapes Through on Cutline
Foong Zi Yu rounded out the Malaysian contingent making the weekend, carding a 77 to advance on the cutline of 6-over 150. Her survival ensures Malaysia will have three representatives competing over the final 36 holes.
Weekend Showdown Awaits
With Yang holding a commanding lead at the tournament’s midway point, the Malaysian trio will be hoping for improved conditions and better scoring opportunities as they attempt to climb the leaderboard over the weekend at Royal Wellington Golf Club.
The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific is one of the premier amateur championships in the region, attracting the top female amateur golfers from across Asia and Oceania.
