Pattaya, Thailand: The third edition of the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific (WAAP) will take place at Pattaya’s Siam Country Club next year.

To be staged from February 12-15, the 72-hole stroke play test is being supported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

The WAAP champion will receive an invitation to play among the world’s best golfers at the AIG Women’s British Open, the Evian Championship, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship and the Honda LPGA Thailand, which will be played the following week at the Siam Country Club for the 12th time.

Thailand has firmly established itself on the golfing map in recent years, with sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn storming up the Rolex Rankings and Ariya also becoming Thailand’s first Major champion at the 2016 Women’s British Open. In the men’s sport Thongchai Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat have been regular winners on the European Tour.

The WAAP has been developed by The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) to unearth developing talent and provide a pathway for Asia’s elite women amateurs to emerge on the international stage. It has already established itself as a significant women’s amateur golf tournament.

“We are delighted to be playing the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific at the Siam Country Club, particularly as Thailand is home to our inaugural champion, Attaya Thitikul,” said Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A.

“The WAAP continues to grow each year and has developed into the most prominent women’s amateur championship in the Asia-Pacific region. The R&A is totally committed to growing the women’s game and we believe providing elite competition and pathways is an integral step in achieving our goals.

“We look forward to another wonderful championship in 2020 and to watching the continued evolution of our past WAAP champions and competitors as they progress in their careers.”

In 2019, the field comprised 80 players from 19 countries across Asia-Pacific including 17 ranked inside the top-100 of the Women’s Amateur Golf Ranking. 

Japan’s Yuka Yasuda won in impressive style on home soil at The Royal Golf Club in Ibaraki, following on from inaugural 2018 champion Attaya, who was triumphant at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore. 

As a result of her victory, Yasuda received an invitation to last month’s Evian Championship where she was equal leading amateur, finishing in a tie for 37th. 

Attaya, meanwhile, was the leading amateur in the AIG Women’s British Open.

On learning that Thailand would host the 2021 WAAP, Attaya said: “I am so excited to play the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific in my home of Thailand, I hope people come to support the event in Pattaya.”  

The 2019 championship was broadcast live on each of the four days with almost 600 hours of television coverage to a household reach of 178 million. 

The Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific is supported by Rolex, Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings and Samsung.