Naomi Ko of Royal Colwood Golf Club finished off with a birdie, one of four on the day, to win the B.C. junior girls golf championship by two strokes in Kamloops.
Her final round of 73 and four-day total of 286 gave her a two-shot victory over Kathy Lim of Langley at The Dunes course. The tournament wound up last Friday (July 4).
Ko and Lim were tied at 213 in second, one back of leader Alix Kong of West Vancouver, heading into the final round. Boosted by birdies on the second, fifth and seventh holes, Ko went out in 35 to leap ahead of Lim by two. Meanwhile, Kong double bogeyed five and six en route to a front-nine 41.
Kong closed the gap on the back nine, shooting even par for eight holes as Ko and Lim bogeyed twice each, but all three players birdied the par-5 18th.
Ko opened with a blistering 4-under 69, rattling off five birdies to one bogey. She followed up with a 74 and 70.
The West Shore resident, 16, has had a stellar season in 2014. Among her results:
• Helped her Claremont secondary team win the city championship at Cordova Bay
• Placed third in the CN Future Links’ Pacific Championship
• Tied for 10th in the Canadian Women’s Tour event at Morningstar in Parksville
• Won the CN Future Links Ontario Championship
Ko will contest the Canadian women’s junior championship July 29 to Aug. 1 in Thornhill, Ont. She tied for 24th last year.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com