Paul Lakatos/R&A/R&A via Getty Images

By Kent Gray
If any further evidence was required that Natthakritta Vongtaveelap will have to be well beaten for the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) title rather than backing up to her nearest rivals, the closing holes of Friday’s third round were conclusive.

The Thai teen was caught atop the leaderboard at Abu Dhabi Golf Club by Mizuki Hashimoto (68) when the Japanese player holed a 30-feet birdie putt on the 16th hole. Undaunted, Vongtaveelap sensationally finished her round birdie-eagle to sign for a five-under 67 and progress to -15 for the championship.

The 19-year-old will thus take a three-stroke buffer over Hashimoto into Saturday’s final round with Australia’s Kelsey Bennett still within striking distance at -11.

“I am so happy and excited about the finish. It was perfect,” said Vongtaveelap who, remarkably, has 19 wins and eight runner-up finishes in Thai events.

“The last seven shots were exactly how I wanted to hit them.”

If Vongtaveela can go wire-to-wire in the UAE capital, the rewards are potentially life-changing; starts in next year’s AIG Women’s Open and The Amundi Evian Championship, as well as invites to the Hana Financial Group Championship and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

“I’ve come here thinking I want to win the championship. So this is a good way to go into the final round. But I know I need to play well as there are many good players in the field.”

Among those is Indian teen Natalii Gupta who moved up to T-16 at four-under-par 212 following a three-under 69. The 17-year-old Dubai-based player, representing the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) this week, closed out with three straight birdies for a second straight 69.

Natalii Gupta in action during the third round of the WAAP at Abu Dhabi G.C.

“It’s pretty cool. I’ve never had people watch me before and for them to be supporting me this week, it’s just wonderful.

“I could have started better, but it was a good finish. I got to make some birdies towards the end. I was struggling with the putter a bit on the front. Then I just trusted my stroke towards the end and that got me going.”

The WAAP was developed by The R&A and Asia Pacific Golf Confederation to unearth emerging talent and provide a pathway for Asia’s elite women amateurs to the international stage.