Natasha has passion to go far
NATASHA Andrea Oon has the pedigree to be a successful Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) golfer if her passion and commitment remain intact.
Coach Steven Giuliano believes the 16-year-old could turn into a strong golfer.
She will play in the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia on Oct 26-29.
“She has progressed enormously, not just her physical side but also her technique,” said Giuliano, who has been coaching Natasha for the past four years.
“She is getting stronger and better, and she showed these attributes in the national qualifiers last month.”
Natasha, who made the cut through the national qualifying tournament, wants to focus on the immediate task, but intends to enjoy her amateur years before she decides on turning professional.
“She plans to go to college and also focus on her golf where she hopes to continue making inroads,” he added.
Natasha has set different goals for the LPGA event.
She will be focusing on performance in the four-day competition rather than keeping the scores.
“My goal is to play under. It will be really good for my confidence and motivation if I achieve it,” said Natasha.
Natasha, who won the Selangor and Perak Amateur Opens, said she is looking forward to meet 2015 LPGA Malaysia winner Jessica Korda during the tournament.
“It would be nice and fun to play alongside the American. I believe she is a fun person,” she said.
Nur Durriyah Damian, Aretha Pan, Winnie Ng, Michelle Koh, Liyana Durisic and Zulaikah Nurziana Nasser are the other local golfers competing in the LPGA Malaysia.
Among the confirmed foreign golfers are defending champion Shanshan Feng, Michelle Wie, World No 1 So Yeon Ryu, Ariya Jutanugarn, Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson. Farah Azharie