OH, WHAT A GREAT START
PERENNIAL Vic Open fancy Su Oh launched her title quest with a stunning hole-in-one yesterday as she marched to a share of second in opening round at Thirteenth Beach.
Oh had already registered two birdies before taking a sixiron on the 15th hole of the Creek course (her sixth hole for the day) and rolling her ball in to continue her early scoring frenzy.
The Aussie scored followup birdies on holes 17, 18 and two before a bogey on the par four fourth left her at six-under for the day.
She is two shots behind Felicity Johnson, of England, who fired an eight-under round on the Creek.
American Kim Kaufman and Canadian Anne-Catherine Tanguay are tied with Oh for second.
Oh said it was hard not to be pleased with how consistently she played yesterday.
“I thought I played well the whole round, there were just a few missed . . . but I recovered really well and holed good putts and made the most of the opportunities I had,” she said.
“The front nine (Oh’s back nine) I thought it played a bit tougher. It wasn’t as easy and the pins were a little bit more tucked, but I made a few good saves.
“I really like it here, I’ve played it a lot and it’s my sixth year this time. I didn’t play very well last year . . . but it was just really good to be back out playing.”
The ace on 15 was Oh’s seventh hole-in-one and her first for almost three years, but she was only made aware of her achievement after being notified by a spectator.
She will have her work cut out for her today, but the 22year-old said she would not be changing anything.
“I think this is definitely the best score I’ve shot on the Creek course. Usually I’m off on the Creek on the first round most of the years, I think, and I am really happy with how I started,” Oh said.
“All the other years I think I shot really low scores in the middle or third and fourth round, but it is different to be sort of right up there after day one.
“I think it is still a bit early (to be changing my approach), it (Friday) is the first round on the Beach course, so we just have to see, but I’m quite happy with how I played today.”