Australia's Nikki Garrett through to Quarter Final
IN: News | New Zealand Womens Amateur | New Zealand Women's Amateur Championship (2004) | Round Three | 08 Dec 2004
A Bledisloe Cup-type clash between the best on both sides of the Tasman will highlight tomorrow's quarterfinals in the Lion Foundation Women's Amateur Championship in Wanganui.
Rotorua's Penny Newbrook, top of the New Zealand rankings, will clash with Australian representative Nikki Garrett, last year's beaten finalist, at the Wanganui Golf Club at Belmont.
Most of the key players have won through to tomorrow's quarterfinals including both Espirito Santo representatives on show, Newbrook and Sarah Nicholson, top qualifier Jenny Park (Otago), foursomes winner Sally Choi as well as Garrett, the only Australian still in the main draw.
Newbrook, a key member of the New Zealand team that finished ninth at the world championship, found excellent form to oust North Harbour's Mi Kyung Kim 4 and 3 in the second round today. The New Zealand Strokeplay Champion was three-under the card, despite two three-putts, was always in command against the 15-year-old who partnered Choi to the foursomes title on Monday.
The Rotorua player was untroubled in disposing of North Shore's Robyn Scott in the first round this morning.
Garrett enjoyed a reasonably relaxed day, two-under par in her 9 and 7 morning route and equally emphatic with a 4 and 3 victory over Pakuranga's Dasom Lee in the afternoon.
The two internationals have competed against eachother before, where Garrett beat Newbrook in the Junior Tasman Cup in Tasmania in 2001, when the Kiwis tied with Australia. Both have gone on to play for their countries at senior level, and tomorrow's quarterfinal should offer golf of the highest quality.
Top qualifier Jenny Park (Otago) had two of the tightest wins, forced to the 19th to edge out Whakatane's Susan Lines in the morning, and she managed a birdie-birdie finish to beat Titleist Development player Stephanie Slavich (Lochiel) in the second round. Park takes on 16-year-old Choi in tomorrow's first quarterfinal, after the Taranaki player edged out Bay of Plenty representative Tammy Clelland 1-up, coming back from 1-down with five holes remaining.
Nicholson was one-under par in ousting Rotorua's Jackie Shin in the second round after the Bay of Plenty player could not repeat her red-hot morning form. Shin, a member of the winning BOP Interprovincial side, was six-under par after nine holes this morning including four birdies and a brilliant eagle when she drove the green at the 278m par-4 sixth hole.
Nicholson comes up against another inform golfer in Arrowtown's Hester Wallace, who was four-under par when her first round match ended, and even-par in beating former junior international Amy Smith (Masterton) in the second round.
Seventeen-year-old North Harbour player Bobae Kim will take on the 13-year-old Haeji Kang (Whangarei) in the final quarterfinal.
Kim, 17, fired three birdies in her first round win and was two-under par in beating talented Cathryn Bristow (New Plymouth) in emphatic fashion 7 and 6 in the afternoon.
Kang, who made her Interprovincial debut two years ago, who shot three birdies in an impressive win over Queensland's Heather Warren in the second round.
Earlier Auckland No 1 Natasha Krishna was beaten by fellow Titleist Development Squad member and fellow Interprovincial clubmate Dasom Lee 3 and 2 in the first round.
The quarterfinals in the secondary Waddell Rosebowl competition will see Hee Seo (Springfield) v Eleanor Hodson (New Plymouth), Rochelle Keegan (Westown) v Chantelle Webb (Muriwai), Grace Jeong (Russley) v Kerry Cho (Springfield) and Soe Beth Brake (Kawerau) v Louise Stephens (Taieri).
Source - NZGA
