Golf: Ko, Cho to make senior NZ debuts

Korean-born teenagers Cecilia Cho and Lydia Ko will make their senior international women's golfing debut for New Zealand in next month's Queen Sirikit Cup in Hamilton.

Cho, 15, and Ko, 12, will join 18-year-old Zoe Brake in a new-look team to contest the annual Asia Pacific women's team championship which has attracted 12 teams so far to the Hamilton Golf Club on April 7-9.

It is the youngest team in memory to compete in the 34th Queen Sirikit Cup which has already attracted teams from Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Cho, of Auckland's Pakuranga club, and Ko of Gulf Harbour gained their citizenship recently to be eligible for national selection.

Cho is the current New Zealand amateur champion, one of 15 individual titles won last year as well as guiding Auckland to the interprovincial crown.

Ko was runner-up to Cho in the national amateur, and recently won the North Island amateur title by seven shots. She turned heads last week in finishing in a share of seventh place at the New Zealand Open, winning the Bessie Fullerton-Smith Trophy as leading amateur.

Cho and Ko were joined by professional Sarah Nicholson as the only New Zealanders to make the cut at the New Zealand Open.

Brake of Whakatane is the New Zealand strokeplay champion and also recently won the South Island amateur in spectacular fashion, and the most experienced of the New Zealand internationals.

"New Zealand Golf is very excited by the prospects of this team," said Simon Poll, New Zealand Golf high performance manager.

"Of course they are a very young team, so it augers well for the future.

"We are thrilled that Lydia and Cecilia have now chosen to become New Zealand citizens and I am sure they will add significantly to our game both on and off the golf course.

"This tournament is second in stature to the world championships so we are under no illusions that it will be tough but at the same time we are hopeful that with this talented young team and some home advantage, that we will acquit ourselves well."

The Queen Sirikit Cup was first held in 1979. New Zealand have won the team's event three times, in 1984, 1990 and 1999, when it was last held in this country, at Paraparaumu Beach.

Lynnette Brooky was the last New Zealander to claim the individual title, in 1993.

New Zealand team:

Zoe Brake (Whakatane GC, Bay of Plenty), Cecilia Cho (Pakuranga GC, Auckland), Lydia Ko (Gulf Harbour CC, North Harbour)