Korea’s Minsol Kim claimed opening round honours at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) championship played at Singapore Island Country Club, taking a one-shot lead with a five-under-par 67.

Kim, ranked 14th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), made five birdies, while an early eagle on the 4th hole was negated by a late double bogey on the par-four 16th.

Looking to make a Korean double in Singapore following Jin Young Ko’s victory last week, Kim will be taking it one day at a time.

“There are still three rounds left. Today is just the first round. I will continue to move forward toward winning the championship,” said Kim, who is also aiming to be the first Korean to lift the trophy this week.

“Yes, I just want to be the first Korean winner of this tournament,” added Kim.

One shot behind Kim at four-under-par 68 are Zixin Ni of China, Navaporn Soontreeyapas of Thailand and Sophie Han of Hong Kong. Japan’s Sayaka Teraoka is joined in fifth position at three-under 69 by Eila Galitsky of Thailand and Wai Chung Virginie Ding of Hong Kong.

Seasoned campaigners Audrey Tan and Geraldine Wong lie in T41 to be the best-placed Malaysians in the field after each shooting three-over par 75 for the day.

Third-time participant Tan, the top ranked Malaysian among the team of six, signed in five bogeys and two birdies to return with a three-over par 75. Ranked 201st on the WAGR, she will be taking note of her opening round performance and eager to do even better in Round 2.

“I didn’t play the way I liked to and there’s a lot of feedback and takeaways to look into today’s round, but I know there still is a lot of golf left to play. So I’m pretty excited to go out there tomorrow and see how much I can improve and play the game,” said Tan.

Meanwhile also in T41, Wong who’s making her second appearance in the event, had a rollercoaster round after collecting five birdies, five bogeys and one triple. Despite carding a triple bogey after the turn, the 22-year-old stayed calm and kept her focus on the present.

“I definitely had a lot of adrenaline after the triple, my blood was pumping and my hands were shaking too. I think keeping calm and focusing on my next move instead of thinking too far ahead helped me a lot,” said Wong.

Two shots behind the duo is debutant Wang Xin Yao who currently lies at T60 on five-over par 77.

Though filled with confidence off the tee during the round, the 15-year-old felt her judgement in distance control and iron game weren’t up to par.

“My driver was working well but unfortunately I couldn’t say the same for my iron shots, I also think I was a little off with my distance control and not putting myself in the right places,” noted Wang.

Lying in T70 together were Ng Jing Xuen and Amalia Shahzan at seven-over par 79. Looking to card better rounds tomorrow, both players aim to make more strategic choices on the course and commit to their decisions.

“It just wasn’t my day, I’ll just try my best tomorrow and enjoy the round. I’m going to work on putting my ball in the right spots for easier putts and shots,” shared Ng.

“I feel like I’m a little nervous since it's my first WAAP tournament and I just need to trust myself, trust the process and make some putts to play better tomorrow,” noted Amalia.

Rounding up the Malaysian challenge is another debutant, Maisarah Hezri, who submitted a 14-over par 86. The Wayne University freshman is staying positive and will give it her all in hopes of still having the opportunity to make it into the weekend.

“The conditions were tough out there and my swing was just feeling off. Even so, I’m going to go all out tomorrow and play my best so that I don’t have any regrets even if I miss the cut this week,” said Maisarah.

Malaysia’s best finish at the WAAP is sixth, achieved by Epson Tour rookie professional Ashley Lau back in 2021 during the third edition at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

The WAAP championship was developed by The R&A and the APGC to inspire future generations of women golfers. For more information on the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship, visit www.randa.org/WAAP.