Two of Australia’s most promising young female players are in the United States this week learning from the greatest of them all, the legendary Karrie Webb.
As is the case each year, the winners of the Karrie Webb Scholarship travel to the US and stay with the seven-time major winner and Golf Hall of Famer during the US Women’s Open, in a partnership between Golf Australia and Webb.
This year’s beneficiaries are Victorian Julienne Soo and Western Australia’s Hannah Green, who have already arrived at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania for a week in which Webb hopes to contend again the a US Women’s Open.
Victorian state squad member Soo, 22, was a semi-finalist at the Australian amateur titles this year. She was the 2011 Victorian junior champion, won the 2010 Sorrento Open, and has been one of the country’s best amateurs since, holding course records at Green Acres, Royal Adelaide, Heidelberg, Long Island and Bairnsdale.
She plays out of Woodlands Golf Club and is coached by Matt Cleverdon.
Green, 18, coached by Ritchie Smith in Perth, is a member of Golf Australia’s elite national squad. She won the Aaron Baddeley International in 2012 and the 2013 Western Australian strokeplay title and has represented Australia overseas.
“They’ll stay with Karrie, they’ll see everything from warm-up to recovery to eating out at night,’’ said Brad James, Golf Australia’s high performance director. “They get a lot out of it and I think Karrie gets a lot out of it as well because she’s giving back to Australian golf.
“It’s very rewarding for her to do that. I think as much as the young players look forward to this, I think that Karrie looks forward to it, too.’’
One of the former scholarship holders, WA’s Minjee Lee, is playing in the Open field this year and on form, could be in contention.
Lee, who held the scholarship in 2013 and 2014, recently overtook Webb as the top-ranked Australian player at No. 16.
All of the players are gathering at the course for this week's Open, with Webb practising with all the young Australians, including former scholarship holders Su Oh and Lee.
"I've always thought I would give something back at some point and I tried earlier in my career, but the fit just wasn't there with the way the associations in Australia worked," Webb told LPGA.com this week. "Before this I didn't realize I had anything to give,'' she said. "But when you're asked to draw upon your experiences, you realize you do have a lot to teach people."
KARRIE WEBB SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
2015: Hannah Green (WA) and Julienne Soo (Vic)
2014: Minjee Lee (WA) and Su Hyun Oh (VIC)
2013: Minjee Lee (WA) and Su Hyun Oh (VIC)
2012: Breanna Elliott (VIC) and Whitney Hillier (WA)
2011: Ashley Ona (QLD) and Jessica Speechley (WA)
2010: Stacey Keating (VIC) and Jessica Speechley (WA)
2009: Stacey Keating (VIC) and Julia Boland (NSW)
2008: Stephanie Na (SA) and Kristie Smith (WA)
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