Schoolgirl stuns field at NZ Open 

Source: Cecilia Cho

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Even with dropped shots at her last two holes, 14-year-old Auckland schoolgirl Cecilia Cho is the leading New Zealander and leading amateur after the first day of the New Zealand Women's Open at Clearwater.

Cho is in a tie for third with a three-under par 69, four shots behind Katherine Hull, of Australia.

Cho started sedately, swapping a birdie for a bogey on holes two and three before four consecutive birdies took her to the top of the leaderboard. Another birdie on the ninth had her five under and two shots clear of the field.

"When I saw my name on the top of the leaderboard I became nervous, just telling myself to shoot pars and stay confident," she said after her round.

Normally a good putter, Cho said she was not confident on the greens and lacked a bit of belief.

"This is the first time I have played Clearwater and I am really looking forward to tomorrow."

Cho, a Year 10 pupil at Pakuranga College, came to New Zealand with her family as an eight-year-old and became interested in golf after going to a driving range with friends.

In the following six years she has become the No. 1 player in Auckland's Interprovincial side, twice won the Auckland "Champion of Champions" title and was runner-up to Zoe Brake at the New Zealand Under-23 championships earlier this month.

Unlike Cho, second-placed New Zealander Sarah Nicholson's putter was running hot during her one-under round of 71. With an eagle three on the par 5 fifth and a birdie an on the ninth, the Wellingtonian was three under at the turn.

"I putted nearly everything on the front nine but made two soft bogeys late on the back nine. But I was happy with the way the round worked out,'' she said.

Nicholson finished in a tie for 17th at the New South Wales Open last weekend, blaming a poor putting performance for not finishing further up the field. A couple of intensive putting sessions with coach Kevin Smith since arriving at Clearwater is already paying dividends,