Chen Xingtong wins HSBC Women’s World Championship qualifier with help from caddie

SINGAPORE – A foe turned friend proved pivotal for Singaporean golfer Chen Xingtong at the national qualifier for the HSBC Women’s World Championship, as the 17-year-old amateur topped the field on Jan 15 to claim the sole local spot at the Feb 26 to March 1 tournament.

Xingtong posted five-under 139 over two rounds to claim her third consecutive win at the Sentosa Golf Club with teammate Aloysa Atienza, 27, as her caddie. The latter was ruled out of the 2026 qualifier after tearing a tendon in her wrist.

Despite the 10-year age gap, the duo share a close friendship, which was evident in their easy banter on the course as they chatted about recent tournaments and their love for Formula One.

When asked how their partnership came about, Xingtong said: “Actually, we were practising for this (qualifier) and she was talking about how she had a wrist problem.

“So she asked me if I was down and I don’t have a regular caddie… I was actually planning on asking one of my friend’s dad to caddie for me.

“We’re actually really similar and were basically on the same wavelength for the entire two days… I asked her for some advice on the greens. I usually don’t want people to read my line. I just want people to affirm me.

“It was definitely good to be able to have light-hearted banter with her out there and it definitely contributed to me keeping calm and patient.”

Atienza, who plays professionally on the official developmental tour for the Ladies European Tour, added: “I’ve been playing the last five editions of the qualifiers and finally being on the same side as Xingtong, instead of against her, is a very refreshing perspective and seeing how she plays and how she thinks.

“We kind of work well in that way. We just need to chat and know when to switch off and switch back on. She genuinely doesn’t like people messing with her game, so I leave most of the things to her, and if she needed help on the greens, she could reach out to me.”

In her opening round on Jan 14, Xingtong had a double-bogey on the par-five 13th hole but rallied to finish on even-par 72 to lead the 10-strong field. The teenager sealed the win the next day with six birdies – from holes 3 to 5, and 13, 16 and 17 – and a bogey on the 12th to sign for a 67.

With a five-under total of 139, the teenager was 15 strokes ahead of second-placed Amelie Ng (154) and Aamiya Koul and Amanda Tan (156), who tied for third.

Xingtong said: “Today was really good, because in the warmup, I wasn’t too confident of doing well, but I was able to get my head in the game and just put together a good round.

“Personally, I’ve been getting better and better…. Compared to the first time I qualified, there’s definitely been personal growth in how I play and how I approach the game.”

Xingtong ended bottom of the Women’s World Championship leaderboard in 2025 after carding a 21-over 309, while compatriot Shannon Tan (even-par 288) finished tied-34th out of 64 golfers for Singapore’s best result in the LPGA Tour event.

For her third shot at the US$3 million (S$3.9 million) HSBC event, Xingtong will have Atienza on her bag again. The teenager is aiming to repeat her personal-best result of five under at Sentosa, noting that she hopes “to play to what I proved to myself I can play on this course today”.

National coach Murray Smit was pleased with Xingtong’s results, adding: “It is fantastic to see Xingtong play such an exceptional round today and to qualify for her third HSBC Women’s World Championship.

“I have no doubt she has learnt a lot from the previous two editions and that has given her the confidence and experience to perform so well on the Tanjong Course.

“We are really excited to see how she performs in the event at the end of February. I have no doubt that she will enjoy the opportunity.”