Korean golfers Hyosong Lee and Seonghyeon An were crowned winners of The R&A Junior Open at Kilmarnock (Barassie).
Lee topped the girls’ field by eight shots over Japanese player Anna Iwanaga thanks to a nine-under-par total of 207.
An ran out a four-shot winner over a quartet of players with a six-under 210 aggregate. Cooper Moore of New Zealand, Sweden’s Edwin Sjodin, English player Alex Boyes and 36-hole leader Aidan Lawson of Scotland shared second place on two-under-par.
The victors may well look to go on and emulate former winners Patrick Reed (2006) and Moriya Jutanugarn (2008) by claiming titles in the professional game.
Not only is it the first time a Korean name has appeared on the Junior Open trophy since its inception 24 years ago, but for Koreans to sweep both titles in the first year The R&A has crowned separate boys and girls champions is a major achievement. Previously the Junior Open was a combined Championship.
“There are a many good tournaments in Korea and a lot of good players, but for two young players to come here and win is very important for Korean golf,” said Korean coach Hyungtae Kim.
“Both players want to go on to play on the PGA and LPGA Tours, so for them to win this important trophy playing links golf for the first time is great for their learning experience. For them to play a links golf course for the first time and win is a big thing for them.”
Lee’s calibre was obvious from the outset. She began the Championship as the seventh best player on the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®), the highest ranked player, girl or boy.
She already owns a professional title, winning the World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup on the Japan LPGA Tour in May. At 15 years and 176 days old, she became the youngest winner in the history of Japanese women’s professional golf.
She finished tied third in the 2022 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) championship at Thailand’s Siam Country Club when aged 13. At the same venue, she placed runner-up at this year’s staging in February.
It wasn’t a matter of if Lee would win the girls’ tournament, but by how many strokes. She began with an eight-shot lead and was able to sign for level par and enjoy the final round.
“I have had many good wins but this is maybe my most important amateur win,” Lee said. “I wanted to win this tournament because it’s for the best juniors in the world – and I wanted to be the best junior. I’m happy to win this for Korea.
“I’m happy for myself too, because it’s my first time playing this type of course. It means I can adapt my game to (links) conditions like this and I did it very quickly. I got more confident day-by-day because I was nervous in the first round.”
An had to work a lot harder to claim his victory. He started the final round one shot behind Lawson, but played better golf than the home player in the final round. He returned a four-under-par 68 to Lawson’s 73.
An improved each round, scoring 73, 69 and 68. “It’s my first time in Scotland, so my first time playing this type of golf,” he said.
“I didn’t know what to expect before I came here but after my practice round I just got more confident each day. My course management got better with each round. I started the first day hitting a lot of 2-irons for safety but today I hit driver a lot because I learned more about the course each day. It means a lot to me to win on a course like this and to win this important Championship.”
Lee would have taken the individual trophy under the previous combined format because she finished three shots better than her compatriot.
“We were joking before we came here about who was going to play better and who was going to become winner,” Lee said. “So for me to finish three shots better than him is very fun for me. He’s my colleague but I’m happy to beat him this week.”
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Dutch golfer Tycho Kuiper, who plays most of his golf on the EDGA Tour, made the cut and finished a credible tied 38th.
Main Image: The R&A
