Victorian Jazy Roberts has finished as the leading Australian for the second straight year, as Korea claimed a historic first victory at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific at Royal Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand.
Starting the final round with a two-stroke lead, Yunseo Yang absorbed the strongest winds of the week in impressive fashion; her 3-under 69, the low round of the day, resulted in her finishing eight strokes clear of fellow Korean Soomin Oh (75) and securing starts in the AIG Women’s Open, Amundi Evian Championship and Chevron Championship.
With a victory which matched the greatest winning margin in championship history, Yang also receives an exemption into the women’s Australian Open to be played at Kooyonga Golf Club in Adelaide from March 12-15.
Wind gusts in excess of 50mph, temperatures in the mid-teens and rain late in the day made pars invaluable and birdies rare.
Roberts had five in her round of 2-under (70) to be the only other player to break par and finish tied third, one spot better than her tie for fourth in Vietnam in 2025.
Coming on the back of her commanding win at the adidas Australian Amateur in Perth, the Bendigo native was pleased to finally have a cooperative putter for the final day.
“Now that I’ve finished inside the top five, I’m pretty happy,” said Roberts.
“After yesterday, I was a bit frustrated. Said that I was going to go at pins … I wouldn’t really say that I did; it’s just that my putter started working today, which was nice, and I managed to roll a few in.
“I wasn’t really thinking about how the leaders were going because it was just so hard, but I knew that if I could have somewhat of a good score today, it’d probably boost me up the leaderboard with how tricky it’s getting right now.
“After winning last week, I was obviously playing really well. I wouldn’t say this week was as great in terms of hitting and putting, but still very good.”
With a strong southerly wind buffeting the players, Roberts started Sunday with two crucial par saves.
The 21-year-old got up-and-down from the back of the first green and then conjured an extraordinary par save when she had to chip onto the green from behind a tree right of the green and then made the four-foot putt for par.
A long two-putt at the par-3 third ensured she didn’t lose any further ground before making her first birdie of the day at the par-5 fourth.
A second shot which was smashed by the wind and bounced back into the creek fronting the green led to a dropped shot at five, but the response was swift, making birdie from 15 feet at the par-4 sixth and following it up with another from 10 feet at the par-4 seventh.
A bogey followed when Roberts missed the green left at the par-3 eighth, but she began the back nine with birdie at the par-5 10th to continue her climb inside the top 10.
A birdie at the short par-4 14th had Roberts at 3-under on her round, before making bogey at the par-3 16th.
Royal Queensland member Grace Rho (75) finished the week at even par and in a tie for 12th in her first tournament appearance; the highlight a chip-in for birdie at the par-4 12th to play the toughest hole all week in 2-under.
Like Roberts and Rho, Raegan Denton and Ella Scaysbrook were paired together for Round 4; Scaysbrook thankful for the company in such challenging conditions.
“Playing in those conditions, it’s nice to have someone who you’re friends with there; makes it a little bit easier,” said Scaysbrook, who shot 76 to finish tied 26th; her best result in the championship.
“Someone to talk to and fun to get along with, even if the golf’s not so great,” added Denton, who closed with 79 to finish tied 29th in her first Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific.
“I think it’s a really good week all together, regardless of how I played. It is really cool to play in such a high-calibre event and to see how many people are actually coming out to watch the leading group is really exciting, especially considering it is an amateur event.
“It just makes me even more excited for years to come.”
After making four birdies in the space of five holes on her front nine, Gold Coast’s Shyla Singh played her final four holes in strengthening rain, making two bogeys and a double-bogey to shoot 75 and finish 33rd.
