KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian amateur Jeneath Wong is poised to seize a unique opportunity to compete alongside some of the world's best golfers at the Maybank Championship starting at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club tomorrow.
Jeneath, an 18-year-old freshman at Pepperdine University, the US, hopes to glean insights from the elite players, and enhance her aspirations to join the LPGA Tour soon.
The Maybank Championship is Jeneath's third LPGA Tour event, after the Australian Open last year and the US Open, for which she qualified on merit.
She is one of only two amateurs competing in the Maybank Championship, the other being Phnom Penh Sea Games gold medallist, Ng Jing Xuen.
"My dream is to play on the LPGA Tour, and I think participating in this Maybank tournament will bring out the experience that I won't really get in amateur golf," said Jeneath, who clinched a silver and a bronze in the individual and team events respectively at last year's Hanoi Sea Games.
"So I feel this will be a really big step for me in achieving my goal. I definitely learned a lot from the US Open, especially from all the top LPGA players.
"I see how they approach the game and plan their practice rounds, they are a lot more different from the amateurs, so I took a lot from that."
For another Malaysian hopeful, Alyaa Abdulghany, the Maybank Championship couldn't have come at a more opportune moment as she is gearing up for the LPGA Q-Series next month.
This critical qualifying stage grants the top 45 participants an LPGA Tour card for the subsequent year.
Alyaa, 24, recently concluded her second season on the secondary Epson Tour, securing 33rd spot in the overall rankings.
Her season was marked by four top-10 finishes, most notably a joint second-place finish at the Inova Mission Inn Resort and Club Championship in May.
"I want to be an LPGA Tour player next year and I still have the opportunity to do that in Q-School end of November.
"So I'm really excited to play here and get my game ready for Q-School," said the Johor-born Alyaa.
Having secured two top-five spots on the Epson Tour, Ashley Lau is set to assess her level as she takes her first swing on the LPGA Tour as a professional.
In her amateur days, she made a mark at the 2016 Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, ranking 68th and standing out as the second-leading Malaysian player.
"For me, just being back here feels really special. The last time I played back here was when I was an amateur. I was 16. So I think just being back here I'm in a different position now," she said.