Sarah Oh: The Big Picture
IN: News | by Anthony Powter | 30 Apr 2006
It may surprise you to know defending Australian Amateur Women's Champion Sarah Oh loves to surf, body surfing that is, on any of the main beach breaks in her home town of Sydney. The pounding of the waves is in stark contrast to the golf course where Sarah spends hours every day perfecting her game enough to eventually move into the professional ranks.
There's a lot on Sarah's plate at the moment and it's not just on the golf course. In the upcoming months Oh will defend her State and National titles as well as finish her senior year schooling. Yet she appears to be taking it all in her stride.
I was fortunate to recently spend nine holes with the 5 marker during a Pro Path clinic organised by International Golf Holdings on Sarah's home course Macquarie Links on the southern outskirts of Sydney. It was an eye opening experience, not just because of the obvious differences in our handicaps but also to witness what a superb player Oh is.
During the game I got to know a bit more about her approach to life, her goals and where she wants to be as a golfer in the future.
Oh's resume of achievements to date includes virtually every main Australian amateur event. Sarah burst onto the scene in 2000 winning the Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation State Age Championship and has since won the NSW Junior Amateur Championship twice, the Lake Macquarie Women's Amateur and been runner up in the MasterCard Australian Junior Masters.
2005 was a watershed year with victories in the NSW Amateur Championship (Stroke Play), NSW Match Play Championship, the NSW 72 Holes Stroke Play Tournament, the Jean Derrin Trophy and to top it all off, a victory in the Australian Amateur Championship.
If you get the impression there's some talent here; well there certainly is. Oh, however, is still critical about her game.
"Driving is what I am really working on at the moment. I need the distance with the driver so I have been doing some drills and working on my strengthening and flexibility."
"When I played in the ANZ Ladies Masters earlier this year the professionals were hitting the ball further than me. Distance is the key and I was having trouble with some of the par 5's. They were hitting them in two. I was using driver, three iron and wedge. I need to address this."
"I made the cut at the ANZ Ladies Masters but I did not really play well that week. But it showed me that I can do it if I work on a couple of things."
Whilst Oh describes herself as a "feel" player, the strength of her game is not so much her short game, which is simply majestic, but her mental approach in the bigger events.
"Golf is all about focusing on what you really have to do. You have to zone into it and stay there."
This explains why when you watch Oh playing in a top level tournament she appears somewhat aloof, oblivious to outside distractions and in a world of her own; but as I found during our game, the reality is otherwise.
When playing golf Oh is composed and focused on the task at hand, no different to any other good player. But there is clearly more to this young lady than meets the eye on a golf course. There is the shopping, body surfing, hanging about with friends and going to the movies as a way of escaping the golfing scene. Oh as a youngster even dabbled in the odd bit of ice skating, cross country running and cricket.
At the moment the Australian Amateur scene appears to be transitory for this talented player, but first there is the task of defending her Australian Amateur crown in May and to finish her schooling. After that it will be a trip to play in America. That's not to cast any negativity on Oh's plans; it's simply that to achieve greater success in the game Oh feels that she needs international experience.
What's the bigger picture then?
"I am planning to travel to the US later this year and try and play in some of the main amateur events. The experience playing outside Australia will help my game. I have not traveled much for golf and I have not been able to play in any representative teams as an amateur."
"I need to play overseas for my game development, so that's the plan."
In today's modern game there is also considerable pressure on many of our young players to turn professional. Oh, however, is measured in her position on this.
"It is something I want to do. As to when I do not know. I need to address a few things with my game before I am ready to do that."
