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Girls U16 Amateur
Sabrina Wong seals unique twin triumph at Girls’ U16
26 Apr 25
5 mins
Sabrina Wong has been making history since she became hooked on golf as a two-year-old. Now 13, she added another chapter to her incredible story at Gog Magog by becoming the first player to win both the Girls’ U16 Amateur and the prize for the championship’s leading player under the age of 14.
The precocious talent from Hong Kong, China won the championship proper by a shot from Royal Portrush member Hannah Lee-McNamara following a dramatic finish on Sunday. Overnight leader Wong needed a birdie at the par-5 18th to prevail on ten-under and secure the Angela Uzielli Trophy after Lee-McNamara had eagled the last to complete a superb 65 – the low score of the day. First-round leader Salome Lumbaca (70) of France was third on eight-under, while her compatriot Axelle Guillemard (66) took fourth on seven-under. Wong’s ten-under-par 203 aggregate (67, 66 and 70) is the lowest 54-hole total in the championship’s history, and sets a record for the most strokes under par. Louise Landgraf and Charlotte McNaughton each finished on eight-under last year before Landgraf prevailed in a playoff. Wong is the youngest champion since the Girls’ U16 Amateur was created in 2018. In addition to her overall victory, she lifted the Liz Pook Trophy for the second consecutive year as the leading player under the age of 14, taking that piece of silverware by nine shots over Switzerland’s Lana Guyot.
Sabrina Wong - Girls' U16 Amateur champion
"It’s actually a dream come true. Now I want to come back and win it again next year."
“I like the sound of being the R&A Girls’ U16 champion,” said Wong. “This is my biggest win because it was such a strong field.
“It’s actually a dream come true because last year I won the under-14 trophy and I really wanted to win the main trophy this year.
“Now I want to come back and win it again next year,” added Wong, who has another three years of eligibility.
Wong, who has lived in Scotland for the past two years, took a two-shot lead into the final round but was unable to convert a host of chances over the first 17 holes that would have given her a comfortable finish.
A trio of gains at the 7th, 8th and 12th were cancelled out by dropped shots on the 6th, 13th and 16th. She ultimately needed to get up and down for birdie at the last to avoid a play-off with Lee-McNamara after the latter’s timely eagle on 18.
Wong missed the green with her seven-iron approach to the par-5 but holed her birdie putt after chipping to ten feet.
“My hands were really shaking over that final putt,” she said. “I wasn’t nervous when I started, but I was on the last two holes because I had missed so many birdie putts. So I was glad to make that putt at the last.
“When I was younger I could not play under pressure. The reason I finished second all the time was because I couldn’t play under pressure. This win proves I can play under pressure against such a big field. This experience will help me a lot in the future.”
Lee-McNamara inspired by Rose
Lee-McNamara, 15, began the final round six shots off the lead but took inspiration from Justin Rose – who came storming through the field on the final day of the Masters earlier this month before being beaten by Rory McIlroy in a play-off. “I knew it was possible to win because anything can happen in golf,” said Lee-McNamara. “I just went out with the Justin Rose attitude from the Masters and tried to go as low as I could.”
It nearly worked. She made five birdies and then eagled the last from six feet following a stunning approach. However, Wong shone when it mattered to avoid a play-off.
Cathkin Braes Golf Club member Wong is now sure to race up the World Amateur Golf Ranking from her current position of 552nd when the list is updated on Wednesday.
It is her third win of the season following emphatic recent successes in the SGF Classic and Daily Mail World Junior Golf Championship. She won the former by 13 shots and the latter by 15.
Wong, who attends Williamwood High School in Clarkston, Glasgow, first got the golf bug as a two-year-old when she watched her dad hitting balls at a driving range. She tried ice skating and ballet as a child, but it was golf that garnered all her attention.
She was a member of the Hong Kong Golf Association’s junior squad by the time she was seven. In 2023 she won the girls’ 11-age division of the US Kids Golf European Championship by 15 shots and the girls’ under-12 division of the Champion of Champions in Northern Ireland by a dozen strokes. She also won the Scottish Girls’ Open under-12 title and was runner-up in the under-14 competition.
In 2024 she was the youngest player, at the age of 12, to compete in the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship. She finished an impressive 46th this year on her second appearance.
Parents Manson and Carol made the decision to move to from Hong Kong, China to Scotland in 2023 to further their daughter’s golfing career. As Sabrina proved at Gog Magog, that decision continues to pay dividends.