KUALA LUMPUR: What difference can three weeks make for golfer Ashley Lau?
Boosted by several outstanding recent results in Australia, the 23-year-old Malaysian has emerged seemingly from out of nowhere to position herself for an Olympic debut in Paris this August.
Her meteoric ascent on the Women's World Golf Rankings has seen her soar from No. 571 to a career-best No. 288 in just three short weeks. She now ranks as the national No. 2 behind LPGA Tour rookie Natasha Andrea Oon, who holds the No. 249 spot.
The current projection cutoff for players to secure a spot in the 60-woman field at the Paris Olympics is within the world's top 350.
The International Golf Federation has set a limit of four maximum qualifiers from any given nation, provided all are ranked within the world's top 15. Beyond that, only a maximum of two golfers will qualify.
From Malaysia's perspective, the chances of Natasha and Ashley securing both spots appear promising with just four months remaining before the June 24 cutoff.
According to the latest Olympic Golf Ranking, Natasha sits at No. 51. The upcoming update should see Ashley appear in the 60-woman standings for the first time, expected to be placed at least No. 54.
However, Natasha and Ashley must continue to accumulate ranking points in the remaining months. They have ample opportunities to do so through the LPGA Tour and Epson Tour in the United States.
Ashley, who won last week's Women's Victorian Open, said she wasn't aware of the Olympic qualification prospect.
"I actually didn't know until I was told about it, and I will keep it that way," said Ashley.
"I don't keep track of those stats, and knowing that will just give me unnecessary pressure that I really don't need.
"My goal this year is to go out and enjoy myself more on the course, and it's really been going great, so I will keep focusing on that and not think about all the stats and rankings."
Ashley will return to action this week at The Webex Players Series Sydney, a mixed-field event, aiming to demonstrate her ability to compete against male competitors as well.
In the previous two legs, Ashley tied for eighth place at The Webex Players Series Murray River before finishing second at The Webex Players Series Victoria.