Golf: Teenager plays her way into top eight

Thirteen-year-old Enu Chung joined illustrious company when she won through to the quarter-finals of the New Zealand women's amateur championships in New Plymouth yesterday.

The Auckland teenager is the odd player out in today's quarter-finals; the other seven are internationals.

Chung, who beat national under-21 champion Penny Newbrook one up, is joined by Australians Amanda Kingman, Nikki Campbell and defending titleholder Carlie Butler, along with Kiwi internationals Tina Howard, Hee-Jeong Chun, Wendy Hawkes and Anita Boon.

The highly-promising Butler, who ousted Christchurch's Naomi Wallace yesterday, will square off with Campbell, who took until the 22nd to dispatch compatriot Vicky Uwland.

Howard (Taupo) survived a hole-in-one by Taranaki's Debbie McCallum to win 3 and 2 in the second round yesterday.

McCallum reduced a three-hole margin to one after she holed out with a five-wood into the 151m par-three 12th, made more testing into the teeth of a stiff south-westerly.

Howard will take on Kingman in the quarter-finals after the Australian was impressive in beating Auckland's La Nahi 5 and 4.

Chun (Wellington) produced her best form of the tournament to oust vaunted Australian Melanie Holmes-Smith 3 and 1.

Otago's Hawkes, the 1999 amateur champion, beat North Harbour teenager Chanelle Baird 3 and 1, and will clash with Chun today.

The pick of the games was the excellent clash between Boon and fellow national representative Claire Dury (Manawatu). The Palmerston North player, who takes up a full golf scholarship to the University of California (Berkeley) in January, was three up before Boon pegged back the advantage and went ahead with a birdie at the 17th.

Dury narrowly missed her eagle putt on the par-five 18th, but Boon managed a testing five-metre putt for the birdie to win, finishing at one-under to Dury's even-par 72.

She will take on Chung, who held on against Newbrook after leading three up after four holes. The Rotorua player three-putted the 15th and 16th, but eased the margin to only one hole with a birdie on the 17th.

The quarter and semifinals will be played today, and the 36-hole final tomorrow.