After staking claim to the sa国际传媒 Women鈥檚 Amateur Championship at Duncan Meadows Golf and Country Club on Friday, Michelle Kim will now focus on a matching prize at the Junior Girl鈥檚 Championship beginning today at Cordova Bay.
The 17-year-old Surrey native will be among the favourites to win the provincial crown over the four-day event as she tees it up today at 12:36 p.m. The first group heads out at 10:39 a.m.
鈥淚 really want to win that, too,鈥� Kim said shortly after claiming the women鈥檚 crown. 鈥淭here are definitely a couple of other girls who definitely have a chance of winning.
鈥淚鈥檓 really looking forward to it, though. I have never played the golf course, but I hear it鈥檚 a decent course, so I鈥檓 curious and excited to play it.鈥�
Also among the field are Langley鈥檚 Gloria Choi and Richmond鈥檚 Alisha Lau who finished third and fourth at the Women鈥檚 Amateur. The two finished tied, but Choi won a playoff for third.
Nanaimo鈥檚 Shirin Anjarwalla, a 15-year-old entering Grade 10 at Dover Bay, should also be in the hunt.
鈥淚鈥檓 really excited for it. I really love Cordova Bay,鈥� she said following the Women鈥檚 Amateur, where she finished seventh. 鈥淚 like that course a lot and I鈥檓 really excited because there are a lot of talented players so I鈥檓 looking forward to competing and having fun.鈥�
And she鈥檚 playing extremely well.
鈥淚 think I do have a chance, yes,鈥� said Anjarwalla. 鈥淚鈥檓 hitting it solid and my putts are rolling quite well. My first two rounds [at the Women鈥檚 Amateur] were a bit shaky. I was hoping for a top-10 finish. I thought that would be good for me, especially after those first two days that I had.鈥�
Anjarwalla fought back from rounds of 79 and 76 to finish with 70 and 73.
鈥淚 definitely think I can compete near the top and I want to keep playing steady,鈥� said Anjarwalla, who is on Team sa国际传媒 for the Junior Girl鈥檚 Americas Cup and is also going to the Western sa国际传媒 Summer Games.
One player who will not be competing today is Victoria鈥檚 Naomi Ko, of Royal Colwood, the defending sa国际传媒 junior champion who also finished fifth at the Women鈥檚 Amateur. Ko, the 17-year-old Claremont Secondary grad and member of sa国际传媒鈥檚 development team, left Saturday for the Ontario Amateur as she begins a busy month.
From there Ko will continue to a North and South event at Pinehurst in North Carolina, then the U.S. Junior Girl鈥檚 Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Canadian Women鈥檚 Amateur, July 28-31 in Saskatoon and the Canadian Junior Girl鈥檚 Championship on Aug. 4-7 in Yorkton, Sask., before returning home for a single day.
鈥淭hen I鈥檓 off to school,鈥� said Ko, who will attend North Carolina State.
Anjarwalla will also compete at the Canadian Junior.
CHIP SHOTS: Other Islanders to watch at Cordova Bay include Megan Ratcliffe of Pheasant Glen and Abigail Rigsby of Crown Isle.
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