New South Wales girls have put in a strong showing at the Australian Junior Amateur Championships.
Three players have finished in the top ten at the conclusion of the four round event, and leading the pack was defending Champion, Celina Yuan who had her best round of the tournament today, carding a 6-under par 68.
The 17-year-old said she struggled to read the Devonport greens all week.
“I just couldn’t really putt, the whole 36 holes today. I just couldn't read them. It was really frustrating,” she said
“I left a whole lot out there.”
While Yuan finished on 15-under par and in outright 4th, it was always going to be tough to catch the third round leader, Queenslander Karis Davidson, who started the day on 17-under par.
Kiwi Momoka Kobori and fellow Maroon Becky Kay tried to catch her the runaway leader, however Davidson was solid throughout. A bogey on the 9th hole was quickly erased with a birdie on 10th and from then on it was catch me if you can.
Although Kobori staged a late challenge, firing off a masterful 6-under par 68, Davidson held on to win by one shot at 22-under par for four rounds.
Yuan was still in the winners’ circle however, having teamed up with Becky Kay, Karis Davidson and Kathyrn Norris to take home the Junior Trans Tasman Cup. With a resounding win against trans Tasman rivals New Zealand.
15-year-old Hannah Park from the New South Wales Club gave it her best, carding a brilliant 6- under par 68 in the third round, but she had a quiet final round, posting a 1-under par 73. She finished the tournament on 14-under par and in outright 5th .
“I let it slip a bit today, but I got it back,” Park said.
“I just went out there and tried to play my own game, that’s how I played all day.”
Stefanie Hall, who started the 36-hole final day just three shots off the pace had a trying day, shooting two rounds of 1-over par 75. Although disappointed with her finish to the Championship, Hall did record her best-ever competitive round this week and also her best result in a major tournament, finishing tied 9th.
Interest turns to the Junior interstate series, which begins on Sunday and the Golf NSW team of Celina Yuan, Doey Choi, Hannah Park, Stef Hall, Amy Chu and Belinda Ji are hot favourites for the title, but Team Queensland with their strong finish today, will ensure the Blues don’t have it all their own way.