Golf: Chloe So targets further success after winning NZ women’s amateur champs

Chloe So celebrates her NZ Women’s Amateur Golf Championship win. Photo / bwmedia

Auckland’s Chloe So is the latest talented Kiwi golfer aiming to follow in the footsteps of Lydia Ko after taking out the New Zealand Women’s Amateur Golf Championship.

Last month at the Invercargill Golf Club, So scraped past Teresa Wang in a four-hole playoff to win the 122^nd edition of the amateur champs, one of the tensest finishes in recent memory.

Making the win more impressive was overcoming the challenging conditions, where rain, freezing conditions and 60km/h wind gusts played their part across the week.

The victory capped off a stunning recent run of form – she’s recorded 10 top-five finishes in her past 13 events, including top amateur honours at the Mount Open and Taranaki Open on the Charles Tour while also being a member of the NZ Junior World Cup team.

That form has seen her earn an invitation to February’s Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship, at the Royal Wellington Golf Club, a tournament that brings together the best young women amateur golfers in the region.

So told the Herald it was an honour to get selected.

“It means a lot to me as I will be able to have my hard work recognised, as well as representing NZ.

“It is a great feeling to have the opportunity to play against the world’s best amateurs and I am really looking forward to it.”

Developed by The R&A and Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, the prestigious championship provides a pathway to the international stage with the champion earning life-changing opportunities to play in the Women’s Open, Evian Championship and The Championship.

While So will be targeting success in Wellington, for now her triumph at the NZ amateur champs remains the biggest success of her career so far, where she etched her name alongside the likes of Ko.

So admits to feeling plenty of nerves during the playoff, but to come out on top to claim the biggest win of her life so far was a special moment in her career.

“It means a lot to me since it was one of my goals to win a national title this year,” So said.

“It has given me a bit more confidence for myself and made me really believe in myself.

“During the playoff for the first couple holes, I felt nervous, but I kept reminding myself to breathe and to stay relaxed, and I just focused on my process, which really helped.”

So, who is based in Albany but plays out of the Pakūranga Golf Club, started playing golf 10 years ago after her dad, Oxwin encouraged her into the sport.

She quickly found a passion for the sport and hasn’t looked back since practising up to six times a week.

“I’ve come a long way,” So said. “I always had the natural ability to hit the ball far, which helped me a lot, but just practising a lot helped as well.

Having finished college this year, So plans to have a gap year in 2026 where she hopes to find a new level with her game.

She is hoping to emulate Ko and Nelly Korda, her other favourite golfer, with plenty of success on the greens, with the ultimate goal of playing on the LPGA Tour.

“I’ll be just practising golf,” So said. “Also working and travelling the world playing tournaments.

“There’s some good pathways in NZ. The competition is quite good now since all the girls are so good.”

Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the NZ Herald who covers breaking sports news.