The 19-year-old from the Manukau Golf Club will try to become the first golfer to win the Australian Amateur Championship and the North Island Stroke Play titles in the same year. For the first time in 2014, the Recreational Services Akarana Open is hosting the North Island Stroke Play.

Koh is currently tied fifth on a five-under par total and holds a one shot lead over Takaka’s Blair Riordan (71) in the amateur race with fellow New Zealand rep Joshua Munn (69) one stroke further back. Bay of Plenty golfer Bailey Smith (71) is in a share of eighth, two strokes back from Koh.

The Auckland rep, who recently finished runner-up at the New Zealand Stroke Play Championship in Hastings to Luke Toomey, feels like he is due a national title.

“Ever since they announced that there was going to be a Charles Tour event here I was pretty excited,” he said. “I have played here a lot and I know this course really well so it would be nice to win here.”

Koh said that his ball striking has been “scrappy” but he has managed to string two good rounds together.

“I am playing alright and hopefully I have a good one in me tomorrow to take out the amateur prize.”

Koh said it was a great learning curve to play with the leader Josh Geary in red-hot form.

“He has shown me what is required to compete on the tours overseas and it has been a great experience to play with him. He’ll be hard to stop the way he is playing.”

Koh hopes that he will be hard to stop too. He wants to leave Akarana with some good memories tomorrow afternoon.

“It would be great to win my first national title. I have contended a few of them. It would be great to do it here.”

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