Caroline Bon missed out by one shot when she tried for a professional card in Europe last year but she made no mistake when she won the national amateur strokeplay title at Napier yesterday.
The 22-year-old Whangarei golfer burned up the Napier course with a final round of four-under-par 69to win the title by five shots from Pakuranga's Cecilia Cho, 15. It was Bon's biggest win by far and a tribute to her toughness under pressure on a final day when the 36 holes were often swept by a freezing southerly wind.
Bon began the last round one shot clear of Japanese Eri Joma, 16, and the visitor drew level at one stage.
But Bon, straight off the tee and laser-like with her approaches, played the first eight holes level par and birdied the ninth to turn three ahead.
She birdied the 12th, 16th and 17th to finish with a 72-hole total of 289, three under par. Cho was second after a final round of 70, while the big-hitting Joma shared third with Lovelynn Mary Guiogui of the Philippines and 12-year-old Lydia Ko (North Shore), two shots further back.
"It was my biggest win by far," said a delighted Bon. "It was my mental game that did it, allowing me to stay positive.
"It was a tough day out there and I made a few putts that I might not have done on another day." Bon, from the Northland Club, works as a personal trainer and is working up to another bid for a professional card.
The round of the day was a seven-under 66 by North Harbour representative Rebekah Brownlee. She had eight birdies and one bogey when the wind was at its worst and she bettered her previous low round by three shots.
She faded to a 77 in the afternoon to finish eighth. Defending champion Zoe Brake finished 13th after rounds of 79 and 80. The top 32 will move to Hastings tomorrow for the matchplay which will finish with a 36-hole final on Tuesday.
The men played only one round yesterday at Hastings where Mt Maunganui teenager Brad Kendall continued his great run of sub-par rounds with a four-under 68. He leads the field by four shots with a 54-hole total of 206, 10 under par. The big mover was Australian Matt Jager, who moved from 19th to second with a round of 65.
