Sabrina Wong of Hong Kong, China, won the R&A Girls' U16 Amateur Championship at Gog Magog, recording a one-shot victory over Hannah Lee-McNamara of Ireland.
Wong has been making history since she became hooked on golf as a 2-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 Scotland-based Hong Kong native won the championship proper by a shot from Royal Portrush member Lee-McNamara following a dramatic finish.
Overnight leader Wong needed a birdie at the par-5 18th to prevail on 10-under par and secure the Angela Uzielli Trophy after Lee-McNamara had eagled the last hole to complete a superb 65 – the low score of the day.
First-round leader Salome Lumbaca (70) of France was third on 8-under, while her compatriot Axelle Guillemard (66) took fourth on 7-under.
Wong’s 10-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 8-under last year before Landgraf prevailed in a play-off.
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.
Wong commented, “I like the sound of being the R&A Girls’ U16 champion. 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.”
“My hands were really shaking over that final putt. 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.”
Sabrina Wong
Wong 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 seventh, eighth and 12th were cancelled out by dropped shots on the sixth, 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 7-iron approach to the par-5 but holed her birdie putt after chipping to 10 feet.
She added, “My hands were really shaking over that final putt. 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.”
In 2024, Wong 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.
Wong’s parents, Manson and Carol, made the decision to move to from Hong Kong to Scotland in 2023 to further their daughter’s golfing career. As Wong proved at Gog Magog, that decision continues to pay dividends.
Follow The R&A on Instagram, Facebook and X.
The R&A