Trio earns green and gold reward
by Mark Hayes
Stellar form and great capacity to learn have been rewarded with three new faces chosen to represent Australian women’s golf.
Sydneysiders Steph Kyriacou and Grace Kim will be joined by the Gold Coast’s Isabelle Taylor in pulling on the green and gold at the upcoming Toyota Junior World Teams Championship in Japan.
The event will be played by teams from around the world with women aged under 19 from 13-16 June at Chukyo Golf Club, east of Nagoya.
NSW-based national coach Dean Kinney said selection was for the trio was both a reward and a “huge development opportunity” all rolled into one.
“The girls have all progressed really well in the past year and to represent Australia in a major international competition is another great step for all of them,” Kinney said.
“Not only is it a great opportunity to test your game against the best junior golfers on a world stage, it will be tremendous for the girls to get out of their comfort zone and experience another culture.
“This tournament is very well run and they provide an incredible experience in Japanese culture and this will also help the girls get the feel for adapting to different environments as they’ll have to if they turn professional down the track.”
All three girls played extremely well at the Australian Junior Championships with Kyriacou remaining unbeaten in the NSW team’s run to the Junior Interstate Series title and Kim, a member at Avondale, winning the Australian Girls’ Amateur Championship in thrilling style in the Illawarra.
The trio of still 16-year-olds then took their game up another level in competing successfully at the open-age Interstate Series in Perth, with Taylor, of Sanctuary Cove, losing just once all week, as did Kyriacou, a member at beachside St Michaels.
“They’re a fantastic group of girls and I’m really looking forward to seeing their games develop even further in Japan,” Kinney said.
Travelling with the team will be former touring pro and renowned PGA coach Lisa Newling, who’s based at the Sapphire Coast Golf School near Merimbula.
“It’s great to have Lisa with us on her first international team as coach,” Kinney said.
“She’s been doing a great job as part of the NSW high performance coaching staff and I know she’s super excited to be part of the girls’ experience.”
