Golf: Ko downed by Cho in battles of ages

14 year old Cecilia Cho, holds the Women's matchplay trophy after her win against 12 year old Lydia Ko in the final of the New Zealand Womens' Golf Championship. Photo / Brett Phibbs.

Fourteen-year-old Cecilia Cho faced a movie-star mob of cameras and kept her cool yesterday to win the New Zealand women's amateur golf championship at Titirangi.

She beat 12-year-old Lydia Ko 4 and 3 in a 36-hole final that did not disappoint the gaggle of local and overseas media drawn by the prospect of seeing the crowning of the youngest winner of a championship that has been contested since Mrs Lomax Smith won at Dunedin in 1893.

That record was not broken - Aucklander Larissa Eruera was three weeks and three days younger than Cho when she won at Taupo in 2006. The men's final was won by Australian Matt Jager 6 and 5 over South African Nicol Van Wyk.

Cho, a member of the Pakuranga Club, and Ko, from the Pupuke Club, were almost without error from tee to green and the contest was won and lost on the greens.

Cho holed some good putts in the morning and built a four-hole lead that could have overwhelmed the younger Ko.

She was six adrift after eight holes in the afternoon but birdied the ninth and 10th, where she drained a 9m putt, and when Cho missed the green to bogey the 11th the margin was down to three. Ko had chances on the next three greens but the putts would not drop and when Cho put her six-iron second within gimme distance on the par-four 15th, the title was hers.

"I got a bit nervous when she won some back but my caddie got me to concentrate on being consistent and getting pars," Cho said. "I'm going to watch some TV and then there's another tournament this weekend."

Cho, who is seeking New Zealand citizenship, is coached by Peter Kim at Takapuna.

Ko, sporting her lucky pink T-shirt, handled the media pressure with aplomb. She was disappointed but proud to have made the final.

"When I was losing I decided to remember it was a fun game and to think positive," she said. "I'm pretty tired now."

Guy Wilson has coached Ko at Pupuke since she was 5 and was not surprised by her composure in the spotlight.

"She practises three or four hours a day but she definitely enjoys it. She wants to play more golf all the time.

"There was criticism from the ladies when she first played in the championships at 7, but I've defended it and it's paid off.

"She's just a normal Kiwi kid and she looks forward to getting back to school and seeing all her friends."

Twenty-year-old Jager from Perth stamped his mark on the men's championship when he drove the par-four first hole with a three-wood and sank the putt for an eagle. He was six up at one stage in the morning only to hand two back on the 16th and 17th.

Van Wyk, a 24-year-old from Cape Town, putted like a dream all week until the final when the putts did not drop.