WELLINGTON: Thailand’s Prim Prachnakorn hit an impressive six-under 66 in the second round of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) on Friday to give herself a glimmer of hope to catch runaway leader Yang Yunseo of Korea.
The 17-year-old Prim, who won the Southeast Asian Games team and individual gold medals for Thailand last December, sank seven birdies against a lone bogey at Royal Wellington Golf Club for tied sixth place on 6-under 138, some seven shots off the pace.
Archiraya Sriwong was the next best Thai player in the elite field, tied 13th following a 71.
“It was a solid round, my iron play was good and so was my putting. Conditions were a bit hard, it was raining and sunny but I just kept thinking to keep the ball on fairways and greens and try to make some putts,” said Prim, who is ranked 30th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
The talented Thai knows she has an uphill battle to catch the 18-year-old Yang, who added a 67 to her opening 64 to lead on 13-under. “She’s a very good player but I think I will just do my best,” said Prim, who is making her third WAAP start.
“After the SEA Games, I’ve got more confidence. I will try my best in every tournament. I feel very happy and so proud of myself (to be on the leaderboard). It’s a very good tournament because if I win, I can go to LPGA Tour and play over there,” she said.
Yang, who finished tied fourth in her WAAP debut in Vietnam last year, conceded being nervous after sleeping on the lead before composing herself with six birdies against a lone bogey to establish a new championship 36-hole scoring record of 13-under 131.
“I was a bit nervous at the start, and things didn't go exactly the way I wanted early on, but I focused on what I could control and the good results followed. Even in situations during the round where I could have gotten carried away, I tried my best to stay calm and composed,” said Yang.
Rianne Malixi fired a stellar 6-under 66 for tied second place as she bids to become the championship’s first winner from the Philippines. The 18-year-old, whose impressive credentials include winning the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Girls Junior titles, snared seven birdies against a lone bogey for 10-under.
“I've been hitting a lot of really good iron shots today, and it was much better than yesterday. I know there is room for improvement and I can shoot even lower, knowing that I fought like this,” said Rianne, who is ranked 21st on the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
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.
