A valuable lesson
Winnie positive she’ll improve after playing against top golfers
PETALING JAYA: National junior Winnie Ng believes that playing against the world’s best at the just-concluded Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia will stand her in good stead for the future.
The 16-year-old golfer was the best finisher among the eight “Malaysian Angels” in the 78-woman field by finishing 64th with a nine-over 293 at the TPC Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. She was also named the best amateur.
Making her second appearance in the tournament, Winnie started off promisingly by carding a 72 and 70 to reach the halfway stage at even-par 142. She was joint 41st in the field that featured 43 of the world’s top 50 players.
But she failed to sustain her form, struggling to a 75 and 76 in the last two rounds.
Still, it was a commendable performance by Winnie, who is ranked No. 862 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
In her debut last season, she carded a 31-over 315 to finish last.
Winnie said she took the opportunity to learn as much as possible from her playing partners.
In the first three rounds, she was paired with players like Chella Choi of South Korea, Australian Lee Min-jee and German Sandra Gal. The three have all won on the US LPGA Tour.
“I had a lot of fun. They were really friendly,” said Winnie.
“On the last day I played with Nicole (Broch Larsen of Denmark) and she shot a six-under 65. She had five birdies in a row and then an eagle.
“It’s good to see how they play and I want to be like them in the future.
“But right now, I can’t play like them. It was a mistake that I learned from last year.
“These pros always attack the pin and I did the same thing.
But amateurs are not as good. So this year, I stuck to my own game plan, hit it to the middle of the greens and it worked.”
Winnie has been in fine form since the start of the year. And she is keen to keep the momentum going.
She bagged three senior local amateur titles – Kuala Lumpur Open, Sabah Open and Kelantan Open – and also captured the girls’ Group A (15-20 age-group) title at the Truevisions International Junior Golf Championships in Bangkok in May.
Besides helping Malaysia to a runners-up finish in the Kartini Cup (girls’ Under-17) of the SouthEast Asian Team Championships last month, Winnie also represented Malaysia at the Queen Sirikit Cup – the prestigious AsiaPacifice women’s team championship – in May.
“My next immediate goal is to try and win an international amateur title,” said Winnie.