Golf: Course record helps Korea to cup win

Fourteen-year-old Hyo Joo Kim shot a course record 65 at the Hamilton Golf Club yesterday to give Korea their fourth Queen Sirikit Cup in a row.

The Koreans, who have won the trophy 13 times since its inauguration in 1979, started the day two shots behind New Zealand and finished seven shots ahead with Australia third three shots further back.

Kim was the individual winner with rounds of 72, 69 and 65 for a 54-hole total of 206, eight shots clear of Hsua-Yu Yao (Chinese Taipei), who had 66 in the final round. New Zealand's 12-year-old Lydia Ko was two shots further back in equal fourth.

As the Kiwis struggled from the start, Kim's birdie bonanza sealed the issue. She had seven birdies and didn't drop a shot as she regularly bombarded the pins and rolled in putt after putt.

Drenched by her teammates after her starring round, the Seoul schoolgirl - "I go there only for the exams" - described the round as her best. She has played since she was 5 and lists the Maekyung Amateur and the KB Women's Amateur among her recent victories.

New Zealand were beaten but provided the big galleries in the perfect weather with plenty to cheer. Ko got to four under after nine holes in the morning but dropped shots with an overhit approach on the 11th and a three-putt on the 13th. Her second 70 was a remarkable effort in her international debut at this level. Cecilia Cho again provided the second counting score with a three-over-par 75, which featured a number of putts that shaved the hole. Zoe Brake, who starred on the first day, struggled to a second 80.

Team captain Libby Steele was full of praise for her young charges, New Zealand's youngest team, who improved sharply on 10th last year in Bali.

"It was a fantastic effort. Nothing dropped for us today and we were not quite in birdie positions," she said. "One Korean was just too hot for us today."

Since 1989 when the tournament was first staged in this country, the average age has dropped by almost 20 years and anyone out of their teens is considered a veteran. It has become a proving ground for many players who have gone on to success in the professional ranks. The latest to make the headlines is Ya-Ni Tseng, Sirikit individual winner in 2005 in Thailand, who won this year's Australian Open and the Kraft-Nabisco tournament on the United States tour.

The Queen Sirikit Cup will be staged in India next year.