Golf: Auckland's Jang Hyun Lee and Rotorua's Shelley McElroy win Rotorua Open

Auckland's Jang Hyun Lee on his way to winning the Rotorua Open. Photo / Ben Fraser

A 16-year-old Aucklander has outplayed some much more experienced competition to win the Rotorua Open by a comfortable eight shots.

Jang Hyun Lee moved to New Zealand from South Korea two years ago to work on his golf and it appears to be working. He says he has won more than 10 tournaments since the move.

He started the Rotorua tournament with an impressive eight-under 62 in round one, before coming back to earth with a 71 in round two. He scored 70 in round three and led by seven shots going into the final round.

"It feels great to win, but now I need to prepare for the New Zealand Amateur Championship next week. My putting went really well this weekend and the course was amazing - tough greens and tough weather. It was a good challenge and nice playing partners.

"The other players played well and there were good scores. A lot of young players."

He said he felt pressure going into the final round, but he felt more comfortable after getting a birdie on the third hole.

His ultimate dream is to be the number one golfer in the world and says Tiger Woods is a player he looks up to.

"His mental control and putting is awesome," Lee says.

"I came to New Zealand to play golf and learn English. It's cheap [to play golf in New Zealand] and there are many tournaments."

In the women's tournament, Rotorua's Shelley McElroy recovered from what she described as a "horrible" score of 80 in round two to claim victory.

"I was very pleased, I had a rough day yesterday. It was really slow and that sort of upset everyone's rhythm, I struggled."

She led by five shots after the first round, but was tied for the lead after round two. She held her nerve in the third and final round to take the win.

"I just stayed calm. After yesterday's struggle I just refocused and worried about what I did, not what anyone else was trying to do. As soon as I got home I just switched off and reset.

"This is the first time they've had ladies, it's usually a men's tournament. Unfortunately the date clashed with a representative fixture, so the field wasn't as strong as it could've been, but I'll take it.

"I was really happy with the first round, I've got new clubs so I wasn't sure how it would go."

She started playing golf in 2001, when a friend took her to a coaching clinic, and has been playing regularly since, including as a Bay of Plenty representative.

"We signed up at Springfield and we've been playing ever since. It's just being outdoors, you can't beat it when it's mint weather and everyone out there is like-minded. It doesn't matter what level you're at, you can have an enjoyable day," she said.

For the full tournament results go to the Rotorua Golf Club Facebook page.