Gateway to greatness?

Four future major winners and a fledgling world number one – some of the stars on show at the first Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship are now among the biggest names in golf.

Jeeno Thitikul, Yuka Saso, Ayaka Furue, Patty Tavatanakit and Grace Kim all battled it out over four thrilling days at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore in 2018.

Thai superstar Jeeno earned her place in history as the inaugural champion, while her four challengers have since gone on to claim major honours.

This was exactly the outcome The R&A had hoped for when they helped to establish the championship eight years ago; that it would provide a platform for the region’s top golfers to shine.

The 2026 edition of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship takes place this week – with the winner receiving a place into the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes in the summer.

Will any of this year’s field one day follow in the footsteps of this elite quintet?

Jeeno Thitikul

Then aged just 15, Jeeno prevailed in a tense four-way play-off to win the very first edition of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship.

Jeeno finished on nine-under-par for the week, level with Wenyung Keh, Yuna Nishimura and Saso [see below].

The play-off went to a third extra hole before Jeeno edged out Nishimura to lift the title.

This victory proved to be Jeeno’s springboard to future greatness as she became the second-youngest player to reach world number one (after Lydia Ko), aged just 19 when she reached the summit in October 2022.

Jeeno reclaimed top spot in the world rankings following last year’s AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl – and has remained there ever since.

She is the only outright two-time winner of the coveted Smyth Salver – the prize awarded to the top amateur at the AIG Women’s Open – with her first victory coming shortly after her triumph in Singapore.

Jeeno has won seven times on the LPGA Tour since 2022.

Yuka Saso

Japan’s Yuka Saso and Jeeno Thitikul were two of only nine players to finish under-par at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship in 2018.

Saso made her way into the four-way play-off but was edged out after the second extra hole.

She did not dwell on that disappointment for too long, though, as she went on to win the US Women’s Open twice, in 2021 and 2024.

Yuka has finished inside the top three at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the Amundi Evian Championship, though she hasn’t made the cut in the AIG Women’s Open since 2021.

Ayaka Furue

Another high-calibre Japanese player, Ayaka Furue finished T11 at Sentosa Golf Club in 2018.

Like Yuka Saso, she has also carved out a terrific record in the professional ranks, winning the Amundi Evian Championship in 2024, alongside four other top-eight finishes in majors.

Ayaka finished T33 at the AIG Women’s Open in 2025.

Patty Tavatanakit

Patty Tavatanakit had already played in three majors before she contested the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship in 2018.

And she used the momentum of her T15 placing in Singapore to earn low-amateur honours at the US Women’s Open later that year, with an incredible top-five finish.

Patty won the Chevron Championship in 2021 and has earned a further four top-10 finishes in majors, including a T7 finish at the AIG Women’s Open in 2021.

Grace Kim

Australian Grace Kim finished T47 at the 2018 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship and took slightly longer than her peers to make her mark in the paid ranks – but she is certainly making up for lost time.

Grace picked up two wins on the WPGA Tour of Australasia, in 2021 and 2022, before winning the Lotte Championship on the LPGA Tour in 2023.

Her first major appearance didn’t arrive until 2022 (a T63 finish at the US Women’s Open) but she soon found her feet, collecting her biggest prize to date by winning the Amundi Evian Championship in 2025.

Honourable mentions

Haeran Ryu [below] was T18 in Singapore in 2018 and has developed into one of the best players on the planet.

She finished in the top-10 in three of the five majors in 2024 and has appeared in the last three AIG Women’s Opens.

US Women’s Open champion Maja Stark recently said Haeran was her favourite player to watch on Tour.

Amelia Garvey finished in a tie for 24th place at the first Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship.

And the New Zealander holds the very unique distinction of being the only professional golfer to record a par, birdie, eagle, albatross and a hole-in-one all in the same round – a one in 4.5 trillion likelihood.

The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship takes place at Royal Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand from 12–15 February 2026.