WELLINGTON: Defending champion Jeneath Wong of Malaysia safely made the halfway cut at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) following a second round of 1-over 73 on Friday. She will enter the weekend rounds some 14 shots behind leader, Yang Yunseo of Korea.
The 21-year-old Jeneath traded two birdies against three bogeys at Royal Wellington Golf Club for a 36-hole aggregate of 1-over 145 and was matched by fellow Malaysian, Charlayne Chong Shin Ling, who added a 74 to her opening 71.
Foong Zi Yu carded a 77 to also advance into the final two rounds on the cutline of 6-over 150, but it was the end of the road for Nur Diana Syafiqah Abdullah (81) and Nur Maisara Sa’ad (77).
Overnight leader Yang added a 67 to her opening 64 to establish a new 36-hole championship record with her 13-under 131 total, three strokes ahead of compatriot Kim Gyu Been (65) and Rianne Malixi of the Philippines (66).
After rewriting a slice of golf history by becoming the first Malaysian to win the WAAP in Vietnam last year, Jeneath has so far failed to fire on all cylinders in her bid to become the first player to retain the prestigious title.
“Made some silly mistakes, I guess. I managed to come back a bit, but today's pin positions and weather were definitely hard,” said Jeneath, who is a senior at Pepperdine University.
“Just as we were about to tee off, it was kind of like white rain. You couldn't see anything. The tee box was flooding. I thought it was going to suspend a little, but nothing. Just kept going.”
Starting from the 10th tee, she made the turn in 37 with a bogey on 16 before exchanging birdies on Hole Nos. 2 and 7 with further dropped shots on the first and ninth holes. She hopes to hit top form by sinking more birdies in the third round in an effort to move up the leaderboard.
“Since it's moving day, definitely make a bit more birdies and probably try for harder birdies,” she said.
The 23-year-old Charlayne enjoyed her first made-cut at the WAAP in her third appearance after battling to a 74 which included two birdies, two bogeys and one double bogey.
Like Jeneath, she struggled under the challenging conditions.
“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,” said Charlayne.
“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.”
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.
