Corey Lamb and Grace Kim have claimed the men’s and women’s Federal Amateur Open crowns on a thrilling final day in the Nation’s capital.
For Lamb, 17, the win is his first major men’s amateur title and underlines what a star of the future he is likely to become, while for Kim, it caps off a remarkable month of golf which also saw her take out the gold medal in the girls golf at the recent Youth Olympics in Buenos Aries.
The pair’s victories couldn’t have been any more different. Kim cruised to an eight-shot win over her nearest competitor, fellow NSW representative Doey Choi, while Lamb left it to the last hole, draining a 30-foot breaking putt to prevail by one of the more experienced Queensland representative Charlie Dann.
Lamb, who has just begun his year 12 studies, was elated after his win, describing it as one of his best performances.
“I am pretty happy with it, yeah.
“I holed a hard breaker downhill, then Charlie three-putted.”
Kim was also thrilled with her victory.
“I played really steady, and I didn’t let the other girl’s games affect me at all.
Kim revealed a debrief with her coach, Khan Pullen, after returning from the Youth Olympics had helped her balance the demands of her Higher School Certificate exams and practice schedule.
“I’ve been talking a lot about my mental game with Khan, and we debriefed about the Youth Olympics.
“I’ve had my HSC exams, and I knew I had to continue to study hard and practice hard. It really helped.”
Up next for Kim is the Dunes Medal followed by the stroke play rounds of the Victorian Amateur, then it’s off to Royal Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand for the Annika Invitational with her New South Wales teammates, Doey Choi, Stephanie Kyriacou and Sophie Yip.
“I’m becoming quite the international traveller.
“I’ve got a new passport. It’s got a couple of new stamps now. They look cool,” Kim laughed.
