17-year-old Rachel Lee brings Australian Women's Amateur title back home
Rachel Lee (Golf Australia Photo)
Seventeen-year-old Rachel Lee became only the second Australian in the past decade to win the women’s adidas Australian Amateur Championship when she completed a dominant victory at Commonwealth Golf Club today.
From the Avondale club in Sydney, the home of the previous Australian winner, Grace Kim in 2021, Lee battled to a final round of 4-over-par 77 in windy conditions to record a 9-under-par total and beat Queensland’s Sarah Hammett (78) by three shots.
South Australia’s Raegan Denton (75) was third at 3-under.
“This is unreal,” Lee said after being showered with water by her NSW teammates after holing out on the 18th green.
“I'm really excited and pretty stoked. It will probably wear off after a bit, but I'm really thrilled that I won this event.”
Lee, who lists reigning ISPS HANDA Australian Open champion Jiyai Shin as her favourite golfer, took the lead after the second round when she shot an equal course record 65 at co-host Cranbourne Golf Club.
She stayed on top of the leaderboard to begin the final day with a two-shot advantage over Hammett.
However the 18-year-old from the Emerald Lakes club on the Gold Coast, who had made a late charge on Thursday, bogeyed the first three holes to put Lee firmly in charge.
The only slight opening came at the tricky par-3 ninth where Lee’s tee shot ended up semi-plugged in a greenside bunker, leading to a bladed sand wedge which flew over the green. She walked off with a double-bogey and her lead cut to three.
A bogey on 11 and a double-bogey on 12 from Hammett restored Lee’s five-shot gap and despite back-to-back bogeys on 15 and 16 she didn’t look like being headed.
“There were some nerves, especially on day three. It was really nerve-wracking,” Lee said.
“Day four, I think I was a little bit more calm for no reason, but definitely a few nerves here and there.”
The best round of the final day came from Emily Odwin, of the Bahamas, who had an even-par 73 to climb to sixth overall at even-par.
Australian Open third placegetter Hyojin Yang (74) shared fourth with Victoria’s Jazy Roberts (74), seven shots behind the new champion, who has no immediate turns to turn professional and will continue to focus on her amateur golf and her studies at Endeavour Sports High School.
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ABOUT THE
Australian Women's Amateur
The Australian Men's and Women's Amateur
Championships are Australia's
oldest Amateur Golf Championships, with both having
been played since 1894.
Long held as a match play event, in 2021 the format
changed to 72 holes of
stroke play.
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