Latest news with #DutchJuniorOpen
The Citizen
30-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Ballito golfer Olivia Wood secures top-three finish at Dutch Junior Open
Ballito golfer Olivia Wood tied for third at the 2025 Dutch Junior Open after a late call-up and challenging preparation. 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. Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news. Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here, or if you're on desktop, scan the QR code below.
The Star
03-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Coach Amelia wants Dania-Zi Yu to step up against seniors
Young combo: Under-18 champions Dania Sofea Zaidi and Low Zi Yu have a chance to shine in Europe. PETALING JAYA: The challenge is going to get doubly hard for promising women's doubles shuttlers Dania Sofea Zaidi-Low Zi Yu when they begin a long stretch of competitions against seniors. The reigning national girls' Under-18 champions will be tested when they play together for the first time in back-to-back international tournaments – the Slovak Open which starts on Wednesday, Slovanian Open (May 14-18) and Austrian Open (May 22-25). Dania, 17 and Zi Yu, 14 have been making waves together, notably capturing silver in the World Junior Championships last October and their first international title in the Dutch Junior Open in February. Junior women's doubles coach Amelia Alicia Anscelly said Dania-Zi Yu still have room for improvements and the three events will be used to gauge their consistency and fitness. 'Dania-Zi Yu need to be consistent and maintain their fitness to play back-to-back tournaments,' said Amelia. 'After the Dutch outing, their fitness was a bit low and mentally they were tired as well. 'We are now trying to help them prepare for back-to-back competitions in Europe and hopefully we can see some changes in them. 'They also need to be prepared to play in senior tourneys where the level will be higher.' The tournaments in Europe will also serve as preparation for Dania-Zi Yu ahead of the Asian Junior Championships from July 18-27 in Solo, Indonesia. The pair will be Malaysia's best bet to win gold in the competition but Amelia does not want to put too much pressure on her charges. 'They won the silver in the last world junior meet, of course there are increased expectations on them,' said Amelia. 'But I don't want to put too much pressure on them and push them too fast too soon. 'We will continue sending them for senior events, so that they will ready to make the step up when they move up to the senior team. We also want to help them improve their rankings,' added Amelia. Dania will also compete in Europe with Datu Anif Isaac in the mixed doubles.
