Ko defeats Cho at Huntingdale
BY Bruce Young | Australian Ladies Amateur Tour | 2011 Australian Women's Amateur | Final Round | 19 Mar 2011
New Zealander, Lydia Ko, has today won her most significant title to date by winning the Srixon Australian Australian Women’s Strokeplay Championship, in the process becoming the youngest ever player to do so.
The 13 year old from the North Shore Golf Club in Auckland defeated her close friend and fellow New Zealand representative, Cecilia Cho, at the second extra hole of a playoff. Cho had produced the day’s best round of 70 to catch Ko who had led by two shots into the final round of the 72 hole event.
Cho, who is the current world number one amateur in women’s golf, was the defending title holder having won the event in Perth in 2010.
There appears little doubt that the two New Zealanders are on track for hugely successful careers in the game and follow in the footsteps of yet another Korean who called New Zealand home, Danny Lee.
“It’s mission accomplished and one more coming up,” Ko told Golf Australia, referring to the Srixon Australian Women’s Amateur Championship which starts on Monday and for which she is the leading qualifier. “It’s the first big tournament that I’ve won individually,” she added. “Up to the last moment there was always pressure and it was great fun and a challenge.”
The New Zealand pair finished seven shots ahead of the third placed Minjee Lee from Perth with another shot back to Yi Chen Liu of Chinese Taipei.
The Srixon Australian Women’s Amateur Championship begins at the Victoria Golf Club on Monday.
