Amateur shares lead at Women’s Victorian Open

By Andrea Petrie

Teenage Victorian amateur, Su-Hyun Oh (pictured), has finished the opening round of the women’s Victorian Open at Melbourne’s Woodlands Golf Club with a share of the lead.
A two under par 72 put the Melburnian in equal first place with Rebecca Flood (NSW), Jessica Speechley (WA) and Korean Haeji Kang.
Oh, who managed six birdies, said despite a double-bogey on the 7th, “I pulled myself back together, which was good”.
She said playing with big names didn’t really bother her, “but there are two rounds left and doing it (repeatedly) is the diffference between an amateur and a pro golfer. They are a bit more steady than I am.”
She said she wasn’t nervous at all heading into today.

“I wasn’t really thinking much out there. I just looked at my yardage book, hit it there and there were no other thoughts, really.”
Flood – who would have been marrying caddie Geoff Artis at 3.30pm tomorrow had she not been playing in the tournament – said she was happy with her opening round.
“I just played solid all day really,” she said. “Geoff and I said at the start of the day just to focus on fairways and greens and take our chances when they come, especially on the par fives. We found it hard in the wind, so we just stayed patient out there and took the chances.”
Speechley, from Karinyup in WA, said she holed a few putts, missed a couple, but that’s golf.
“It was pretty good for me because I only turned pro a couple of weeks ago,” she said. “I was ready (to go pro) because I did what I could as an amateur. I didn’t expect much, just wanted to play like I did as an amateur and not think about money and all that, just go out and enjoy it.”
US-based Korean Haeji Kang, who plays on the LPGA Tour, said she had a sore arm from playing on a harder ground here than in Florida.
She started with a bogey, so it wasn’t a good start, “but on the 9th I got on for two and made an eagle putt, a long putt from front left edge.”
She said she had been working on her swing during off-season, “so I’m looking forward to the next two days.”
The final 36 holes for the women’s event will begin at Spring Valley at noon today, after the men have all teed off.

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