Golf: International flavour to women's golf

Two New Zealanders, Enu Chung and Kyla Welsh, are through to the quarter-finals of the national women's amateur golf championships in Mt Maunganui.

There's a truly international flavouring to today's quarter-finals, with six nationalities in the final eight - two New Zealanders, two Australians and one player each from South Africa, Canada, Scotland and England.

Auckland's Chung, 15, accounted for Britain's Anna Highgate 2 and 1 in yesterday's second round while Welsh, now playing out of the Taieri club in Otago, edged out Canada's Terrill Samuel 1 up.

In the main upset, Eom Ji Park (Canada), 18, disposed of top qualifier and Australian amateur champion Katy Jarochowicz, 1 up.

In the top half of the draw, Park today plays South Africa's Lee-Ann Pace in one quarter-final and Chung meets Britain's Shelley McKevitt.

In the bottom half, Australian No 1 Sarah Kemp meets Welsh while Australian Nikki Garrett plays South Africa's Sandra Winter.

Park, winless in last week's Commonwealth teams tournament in Auckland, made a quick start against Jarochowicz to be 2 up after six holes and 3 up at the turn.

She later withstood a late charge from Jarochowicz to win on the 18th.

Pace, who lost just once at the Commonwealth tournament, was 2 up early against Canada's Jacqueline Little, and held on to win 1 up, while McKevitt, square at the turn, won two successive holes to hold off Canadian Veronique Drouin.

Chung had a fierce battle against Highgate.

They were all square leaving the 13th before Chung won three of the next four holes to claim victory.

Welsh, who shone for New Zealand at the recent Spirit International in the United States, had to work overtime to dispose of Samuel.

They were all square and even par at the turn before swapping birdies to remain deadlocked.

Samuel succumbed with successive bogeys at the 14th and 15th and, despite a birdie at the 17th, she was unable to catch Welsh.

- NZPA