Wellington, February 12 2026 – Vietnam’s only representative, Le Chuc An, produced a strong late surge with birdies on her final two holes to recover to a two-over-par 74 in the opening round of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) Championship on Thursday.
Competing in her third WAAP appearance, the 18-year-old talent was four-over through 16 holes at Royal Wellington Golf Club. However, a determined finish lifted her into a tie for 42nd place, though she remains 10 strokes adrift of early leader Yang Yunseo of Korea, who impressed with a superb eight-under-par 64.
Chuc An, who tied for 30th when Vietnam hosted the tournament last year, struggled at times with the swirling winds at the iconic New Zealand venue. She will aim for significant improvement in Friday’s second round to move closer to contention.
Korea is still searching for its first WAAP champion since the tournament’s launch in 2018, but the nation made a strong early statement with four players inside the top 10 after round one. Yang set the pace with a flawless round featuring eight birdies and no bogeys, marking the lowest score of her two WAAP appearances.
The 18-year-old holds a one-shot advantage over Hong Kong’s Arianna Lau, who carded a 65, while Korea’s Park Seojin sits alone in third after posting a 67. Defending champion Jeneath Wong of Malaysia opened with an even-par 72.
“I didn’t expect to post such a score,” Yang admitted after her round. “A few short birdie putts dropped, which really helped. I practiced here for two days and feel that understanding the course is crucial to scoring well. Even after finishing, I reminded myself that it’s just the first round. I’ll focus on each shot ahead, and hopefully the results will follow.”
The WAAP was established by The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) to foster elite women’s amateur talent across the region and create opportunities on the global stage. The champion will secure invitations to 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 tournament is supported by partners including Rolex, ISPS Handa, Royal Wellington Golf Club, Samsung, Hana Financial Group, Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings, Peter Millar, Titleist, Sparms, New Zealand Mercedes-Benz, Tongariro, New Zealand Major Events, Wellington Council, and host association Golf New Zealand.
The APGC represents 47 national golf associations across Asia-Pacific, where the sport continues to expand rapidly with approximately 18 million golfers and 4,000 courses. Beyond organizing leading amateur championships, the APGC assists member associations in growing the game, ensures compliance with the Rules of Golf as approved by The R&A, and collaborates with the Masters Tournament and the International Golf Federation to promote the sport globally.
VSN/RPT
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