Defending champion Atthaya Thithikul will lead a host of emerging stars from the region when the second edition of the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) is played at the Royal Golf Club in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, from April 25-28.
At No.8 in the world amateur golf ranking, Thailand's Thitiya will also be the highest-ranked star in the field which features 80 players from 20 Asia-Pacific countries.
WAAP champion Atthaya Thitikul.
As well as Thithikul, two of the other three players involved in the exciting play-off that decided the champion in Singapore last year -- Yuka Saso of the Philippines and Yuna Nishimura of Japan -- have also committed to the championship.
The 17-year-old reigning Asian Games champion Saso, along with her namesake from Japan, Yuka Yasuda, are the next two highest-ranked players at No.34 and 17 respectively.
The winner at the Royal Golf Club will earn a spot in two of the five women's major championships -- the AIG Women's British Open and the Evian Championship.
She will also receive an invite to the 2020 Augusta National Women's Amateur.
Atthaya, who created history in July 2017 when she became the youngest winner on the Ladies European Tour at the age of 14 at the Thailand Championship, enjoyed a phenomenal year as the WAAP champion.
She was the leading amateur at the 2018 Women's British Open and ANA Inspiration and was tied eighth in the HSBC Women's World Championship.
"I am so excited to play the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific again," said Atthaya, who turned 16 yesterday.
"It means so much to me to have won the WAAP last year.
"It gave me invitations to many big tournaments and I feel like it has been a huge learning experience for me in my journey to become a professional golfer."