Ballito golfer Olivia Wood secures top-three finish at Dutch Junior Open
Wood returned home with pride following her stellar performance at the Noord-Brabantsche Golf Club in Toxandria, Netherlands, where the prestigious 72-hole stroke play championship was held from July 16 to 19.
The 19-year-old tied for third place alongside fellow South African Lisa Coetzer, finishing four-over-par. She carded rounds of 76, 72, 71 and 73 for a total of 292 – just seven shots behind Dutch winner Rosanne Boere, who finished at three-under-par.
The tournament, located an hour-and-a-half's drive from Amsterdam, featured top junior golfers from around 20 countries, with 80 boys and 40 girls competing.
'The experience was really great; it was nice to meet other golfers from around the world,' said Olivia, who earned her Protea colours for GolfRSA after narrowly missing out on previous national selections. Her journey to the tournament was anything but conventional.
While vacationing in Mozambique, Wood received a late call-up to replace an injured teammate. She flew home the next day and squeezed in a single rainy training session before heading to Europe the following day.
ALSO READ: Ballito golfer Olivia Wood sweeps titles at KZN championships
'It was quite an experience,' she said. 'I hadn't practised in two weeks, and my one session back home was in poor weather conditions. I had to prepare myself mentally for the competition in a way I have not had to before.'
Despite the challenges, Wood impressed on the tricky foreign course.
'The course was tough; the grass made the greens tricky,' she said.
A member of both Umhlali and Simbithi country clubs, Olivia is currently ranked 243 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, with a career best of 241.
'We are proud to see our juniors earning the opportunity to compete on the global stage,' said Grant Hepburn, CEO of GolfRSA.
'International competition is vital for the development of young players. It gives them invaluable experience against top global talent, in different playing conditions and under pressure, which is key to their long-term success.'
Olivia will now set her sights on the United States, where she will begin a full golf scholarship at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on August 6.
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