KUALA LUMPUR: National No. 1 Ashley Lau will return to the United States with plenty of optimism after enjoying another solid outing — a top-30 finish at the Singapore Women's Open.
Ashley made the most of the sponsor's invitation she received for the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour season-opener, wrapping up her campaign with a 71 to finish in a tie for 27th on a five-under 283 total at the Tanah Merah Country Club on Sunday.
The tournament was won by Kim Jae Hee, who carded a 66 for 17-under 271 total and won by one shot from second-placed Bang Shin Sil (67).
It was a commendable feat for Ashley, considering the 108-player tournament featured Thailand's major winner, Patty Tavatankit and 16 out of the top 20 points finishers of the KLPGA Tour last year.
Before this week, Ashley had a great playing stint in Australia between January and February, clinching the Vic Open title for her maiden professional victory and finishing in the top five in four other WPGA Tour of Australasia events.
"It's been a good week. I think it's nice to be competing again after my two-week break, and just playing alongside a strong field gave me a little insight into what I have to work on," said Ashley, currently ranked a career-best No. 243 in the world.
"The first two days, I got paired up with Shin Sil, and she was playing really well. It was fun for me to watch her game and learn from the experience."
However, Ashley felt she could have ended the week in a higher position.
"I just left a lot of putts out there, and I think one thing I've learned this week was that the Korean players are more consistent with approach shots," she said.
"No matter how long their approach is, they somehow can get it pretty close to the pin and give themselves opportunities."
She will compete next in the back-to-back IOA Golf Classic (March 15-17) and Atlantic Beach Classic (March 21-23) on the Epson Tour in Florida.
Ashley hopes to finish among the top 15 points finishers at the end of the season, with a promotion to the LPGA Tour up for grabs through the developmental circuit.