Teenage Hong Konger Han rules at Reignwood

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Teenage Hong Konger Han rules at Reignwood

July 2, 2024
Updated 39 seconds ago

Beijing, China: Sophie Han claimed her first major tournament victory with a sensational seven-under-par 65 in the final round to win the Reignwood CLPGA Classic by one stroke.

The 17-year-old amateur posted a 10-under 278 (68-73-72-65) at the Reignwood Pine Valley course on the outskirts of Beijing after a run of six birdies over seven holes from the eighth inning onwards moved him up the leaderboard.

With that, the star from Hong Kong, China, took the lead and despite a few nervous moments after Han bogeyed the final turn, she clung on to a famous victory in the China LPGA Tour event.

The Only Woman Who Could Catch Her – Thai Amateur Pimpisa Ruborn – made par when she needed a birdie to force a play-off, which would have been tough given Han’s final-round heroics.

Han was busy signing autographs as the last group took to the field, but soon she was at the front holding the trophy high in the air.

Danny LaiCEO of the Golf Association of Hong Kong, China (GAHKC), said: “Congratulations to Sophie on such a great achievement. She showed how far her game has come and what an exciting future she has in the game.

“Thanks also to the China Golf Association (CGA) who continue to support our players and the work we do to grow the sport. Sophie has shown how far our golfers can go when given the opportunity to play.”

Han thanked the GAHKC and the CGA for their support. She also thanked her mother and gave herself ’99 or 98 points’ out of 100 for her performance.

Han, who started the week ranked 140th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), said: “I was very confident. On the last day it was a matter of the right time, place and people. The combination of all these factors led to this result.”

Han plays on the CLPGA Tour after accepting a card arranged by the CGA and GAHKC, as the two organizations continue to offer opportunities to SAR golfers. She now has one win and a tie for sixth place from just three starts.

Highlights of the past two years for Han include a third-place finish at the 2023 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP), while representing Hong Kong, China at the World Amateur Team Championship, the Asian Games and the Queen Sirikit Cup.

In this year’s WAAP, Han tied for 16th, while Pimpisa finished fourth. The Thai is currently ranked 153rd in the WAGR.

Han’s stunning performance on China’s leading professional Tour comes just before she returns to the IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championship in California, the scene of her triumph last year when she teamed up with Arianna Lau to win the girls 15-18 team section.

“I was focused on the present the whole time and tried to do well with every stroke,” Han said. “So this result was completely unexpected. I just did my best at every step of the process.”

Third place in Beijing went to Pang Runzhiwho claimed her first victory on the China LPGA Tour last month at the Singapore Ladies Masters.

The first two places were taken by amateurs and Pang won the first prize, a cash prize of RMB 150,000, out of the total prize pool of RMB 1 million.