Auckland, New Zealand: Eunseo Choi has solidified her place as her country’s leading female amateur golfer with an historic success in the New Zealand Women’s Amateur.
A stalwart of New Zealand’s Queen Sirikit Cup teams for the past three years, 18-year-old Choi defeated Yoonjae Jeong 6&5 in the 36-hole final at Titirangi Golf Club.
In so doing she completed a memorable double, having triumphed in the New Zealand Women’s Strokeplay Championship earlier in the year. It’s the first time the two titles have been won by the same player in the same year.
Reflecting on her annus mirabilis, Choi said: “I won both the NZ Strokeplay and NZ Amateur this year, so I feel really great! Apparently, Lydia [Ko] didn’t get the two in one year, so I’m hoping I’m the only one in New Zealand history!”
Choi qualified second in stroke play following rounds of 71 and 75, finishing one shot behind Jeong, whose second-round 70 was aided by a hole-in-one on the fourth.
Both players advanced to the final, where Choi took an early lead and never looked back. She carried a two-up lead into the afternoon and continued to apply pressure, ultimately sealing her victory with a birdie on the 31st hole.
Choi attributed her success to her ability to ‘read the flow of the game’ and remain composed, adding that her competitive mindset kept her fighting throughout the tournament.
She also praised the conditioning of the Dr Alister MacKenzie-designed Titirangi Golf Club and extended her gratitude to the greens staff for their work.
In the men’s championship, top honours went to Cooper Moore, who produced a stunning late comeback to defeat Robby Turnbull on the final hole.
The 16-year-old Moore trailed his 17-year-old opponent three-down with seven holes remaining.
But Moore showed his resilience, responding with birdies on the 30th and 31st holes to reduce the deficit to one-down. Riding this momentum, Moore won the 33rd and 34th holes, pulling ahead to a one-up lead.
With tension mounting, Turnbull, third individually in last month’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Team Championships for the Nomura Cup in Vietnam, birdied the 35th hole to square the match and set up a dramatic finale.
There, it was Moore who prevailed after executing a perfect approach shot, his ball coming to rest within three feet of the cup. Moore said: “I had 92 metres in and knew it was going to spin back. I realised it was close when everyone started clapping.
“I’m kind of shocked a little bit. Being three down with seven to go, I didn’t really expect it. I just kept on pushing to see what would happen. It feels great.”
Defeat was tough on Turnbull who topped the standings in the stroke play segment following rounds of 66 and 69. Moore, meanwhile, tied for 14th on 144.