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 advanced 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 was 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. 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.

A year on from an historic win, Malaysia’s Jeneath Wong is aiming for more accolades as she attempts to become the first player to successfully defend the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) championship, which begins at Royal Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand on Thursday.

The 21-year-old Jeneath wrote her name into golf’s annals by becoming the first Malaysian to triumph at the WAAP, the region’s preeminent women’s amateur championship, in Vietnam last year.

She faces a stellar field at Royal Wellington featuring 12 players from the top 50 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking, including last year’s runner-up Soomin Oh, who at No. 11 is the highest-ranked player in the field, 2024 U.S. Women Amateur champion Rianne Malixi of the Philippines, China’s Zhou Shiyuan and some of New Zealand’s leading amateurs.

“I’m obviously very grateful to be here as the defending champion. I’m looking forward to this week and it’s very exciting. Playing at a really nice course with great weather, so I’m looking forward to the challenge,” said Jeneath at a press conference on Wednesday.

Since the championship’s first edition in 2018, no player has won back-to-back titles, with inaugural champion Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, now the world No. 1 in women’s professional golf, finishing runner-up in her title defence the following year.

A senior at Pepperdine University in the U.S., Jeneath arrived in New Zealand armed with more power in her game and invaluable experience from rubbing shoulders with LPGA Tour stars.

“I think now I’m a lot stronger. I’ve gained a couple more metres, so I think it will benefit me when hitting into the greens with shorter irons,” she said.

At Hoiana Shores last year, Jeneath, powered by a magical third-round 64, edged Korea’s Soomin Oh by a single stroke, earning exemptions into three major championships and other elite amateur events.

The Melbourne-based Malaysian said winning the title was beyond her wildest dreams. “What stands out the most is the overwhelming sense of gratitude and pride I felt representing Malaysia. Winning the WAAP was incredibly emotional, not just because of the victory itself, but because of what it meant for Malaysian golf and for myself,” said Jeneath, who is one of five Malaysians in this week’s field.

“Seeing the support from home and knowing that the win inspired others made it even more special. Personally, it was a moment that validated all the hard work and sacrifices over the years.”

The rewards that followed enabled her to travel the world and play alongside many of the game’s top professionals. “I was able to play the final round of the AIG (Women’s Open) with Yani Tseng. She used to be my idol when I was young, so it was cool to be next to her at that time,” she said.

After the heartbreak of finishing runner-up last year, the highly rated Oh is looking to be third-time lucky in the championship. “I have very good memories from the past two years, and I’m expecting to make good memories this year too,” said the 17-year-old, who is a two-time Korean Women’s Amateur champion and the 2024 World Junior Girls champion.

“I will do my best. A little bit sad about missing the win last year.”

The other Malaysians in the field this week include Charlayne Chong Shin Ling, Nur Maisara Sa’ad, Foong Zi Yu and Nur Diana Syafiqah Abdullah.
The field features 84 players from 25 Asia-Pacific nations who will assemble in Wellington, reflecting both the championship’s competitive strength and its growing regional reach.

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.

More information on the WAAP can be found at the championship website.

Title holder Jeneath Wong of Malaysia launched her defence at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) championship with a battling even-par 72 on Thursday, leaving her eight shots back of first round leader Yang Yunseo of Korea.

The 21-year-old Jeneath, who made history by becoming the first golfer from Malaysia to lift the prestigious title in Vietnam last year, enjoyed a blistering start at Royal Wellington by hitting four birdies in her opening six holes before boarding the bogey train around the turn where she dropped four shots over a five-hole stretch.

Another Malaysian, Charlayne Chong Shin Ling opened with a solid 71 which featured five birdies against four bogeys for a share of 17th place in what is her third WAAP appearance. Foong Zi Yu carded a 73, Nur Diana Syafiqah Abdullah returned a 78 while Nur Maisara Sa’ad shot an 86.
Jeneath, a senior at Pepperdine University in the U.S., was upbeat despite ending the day well off the pace. “I still feel I can do better in the coming days, so I'll try my best,” she said.

“I was picking up momentum (at the start). My approach shots were pretty close. I guess three, four feet; that's how I got the four birdies. Then towards the back nine, I had three bogeys in a row. I think the wind picked up a bit, but I still managed to get all par for that.”

The 18-year-old Yang was flawless with a bogey-free 64 to lead the prestigious championship by one stroke over Hong Kong’s Arianna Lau while another Korean, Park Seojin opened with a 67 for solo third place.

Jeneath knows she must navigate the swirly conditions better at the iconic Royal Wellington if she is to haul herself back into the title frame on Friday.

“Definitely just probably being calm even if the wind picks up or I make a bogey. Also just sticking to my game plan as usual and just keep hitting it close,” she said.

“I grew up in Melbourne so the wind is pretty strong there. But Wellington, the winds really just swirl around so makes it a bit harder to decide which club, if it's into the wind or downwind.”

Korea has yet to celebrate a first WAAP winner since the event’s inauguration in 2018, but the first round leaderboard saw a sprinkling of four Korean names in the top-10, led by the impressive Yang, who snared eight birdies against no bogeys to post her lowest round in what is her second WAAP start.

“I didn’t know if I would be able to shoot this kind of score,” said Yang, who finished tied fourth in Vietnam in her debut last year.

“Some short birdie putts dropped, which helped. I played practice rounds on this course for two days. I believe you need to know the course well to score. Even after finishing the round, I reminded myself it’s only the first day. I’ll concentrate on the ball in front of me. If I do that, I think good results will follow.”

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.

Malaysia’s Anson Yeo and Zubair Firdaus registered their career-best results at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship on Sunday as they switched their attention to chasing the gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games later this year.

Yeo, 19, closed with a 2-under 70 at Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis course to achieve his goal of ending the week in red numbers with his 2-under 286 total in the region’s premier amateur Championship. His T21 finish improved on his previous best of T29 recorded in 2022.

Zubair also signed off with a 70 despite a closing bogey at the ninth, to finish T27 and improved on his previous high of T32 in the 2022 edition. This week was Zubair’s fourth successive appearance in the Asia-Pacific Amateur.

“Pretty happy as I managed to fight back after shooting 5-over on the first day,” said Anson, who was making his fourth appearance in the Championship. “Fighting back from that start, it’s the happiest thing for me and meeting my goal of being under par is a confidence booster. I’ve got a lot of things to work on, will head back home and keep working at getting better.”

The 23-year-old Zubair will turn professional at the end of the year, saying the experience of competing alongside the region’s top amateurs has been the perfect preparation for life in the play-for-pay ranks. But before he relinquishes his amateur status, Zubair is targeting gold at the SEA Games, which will be held in Thailand later this year.

“I think I learned I can compete out here,” said Zubair, who finished the week on 289. “I had a lot of chances in the final round to score, but I couldn’t put it together as a whole this week. It creates a lot of good momentum, and I will play my best for Malaysia in the SEA Games.”

With a total of six Malaysian playing all four rounds this week, Zubair feels the team will have a chance at winning medals at the SEA Games. “This is a good trend in the right direction. For sure, gold medal is our goal. The whole team is trending and as a team, we can compete,” he said.

“The SEA Games will be my last amateur event. I will then play in the Asian Tour Qualifying School and make my professional debut on the DP World Tour in Bahrain. The Asia-Pacific Amateur is the best amateur tournament in the word, from the exposure, the media attention that we receive, it’s a Tour-level event. It’s a good transition for players like me,” added the Malaysian, who won the Bahrain Amateur Open recently which comes with a spot in the Bahrain Championship next January.