Two aces! Teenage star becomes hero at Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific
Navaporn Soontreeyapas achieved golfing immortality during the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship in Thailand…
Golfers can play for decades and not get near a hole-in-one.
I may or may not be one of them.
Navaporn Soontreeyapas isn’t one of us, to her relief I imagine, as she achieved golfing immortality at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship in Thailand.
Soontreeyapas graced Siam Country Club with her first ace on the par-3 7th hole just two hours into the first round of the elite amateur event.
The tournament’s X/Twitter admin requested everyone to stop what they were doing when a clip emerged of Soontreeyapas taking a shot on the par-3 16th hole two days later.
Her ball bounced about 10 feet short of the pin and rolled in from 157 yards for an outstanding second ace. You can’t believe some people’s luck, can you?
STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING 🛑
— Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Golf Championship (@WAAPGolf) February 3, 2024
Thailand’s Navaporn Soontreeyapas with her SECOND hole-in-one this week 😳 pic.twitter.com/SgrDOqD4Wg
“It’s amazing. Yeah, I can’t believe it, I made it,” the Thai teenager said, having also received a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra phone for her troubles.
“I’m shocked and it’s amazing. But my dad is – ahhh, it’s crazy – I’m so excited. It’s so beautiful and so good.”
Soontreeyapas’ heroics helped her to finish in a tie for 16th, 12 shots behind winner Chun-Wei Wu from China.
She won her first amateur ranking title at the Singapore Open Amateur Championship last year, and she is currently ranked 177th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
As for Wu, just 19 years of age, she has now secured spots at the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews, the Amundi Evian Championship in France and the Chevron Championship in America.
This was just the sixth edition of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship. LPGA Tour star Atthaya Thitikul won the inaugural event at Sentosa in Singapore in 2018.
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
