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Wentworth College Year 13 student Chloe So has just been crowned the 2025 New Zealand Women’s Amateur Golf Champion.
It was the third match win for the year and first national title for the 18-year old who has her sights firmly set on following Lydia’s Ko’s path to the professional golf tour.
It was no easy road to the title, as competitors had to battle freezing and blustery conditions, with 60km wind gusts at the SBS Bank Invercargill Golf Club.
“It was very tough out there, I just had to try and play my best,” Chloe says.
Representing Pakuranga Golf Club, Chloe and opponent Teresa Wang (Pupuke Golf Club) went toe-to-toe for 36 holes, then onto four playoff holes before Chloe finally clinched the title on the final hole.
“It felt so good – so much pressure just went away because it was a very long day and it started to get mentally tiring.”
Not that Chloe is sitting back. Now she has finished high school, she is contemplating her next move, but golfing practice and preparing for next year’s matches are top of the agenda.
She started playing aged nine after her father Oxwin encouraged her into the sport, and says she quickly discovered a passion for it.
She works with two coaches, Sam Reese from the Clubroom Albany and short game coach James Cooper.
“My coach has been helping me a lot with fixing my swing. I had a rough start to the year because my swing was off, but my coaches have helped me a lot.”
The work has clearly paid off and Chloe has also travelled with Golf New Zealand to Japan and Australia.
To get to the professional level, she will have to get through the LPGA “q schools” process, the highly competitive annual qualifying tournaments that allow players to progress on to the tour.
Coach Sam Reese says Chloe has a great temperament for the sport and over the past few months they have been developing a long-term game plan for her career.
“Not many players achieve what she has done with her win and those that do, go on to achieve great things. She has a great role model in Lydia Ko and I don’t see why she can’t get close or equal to that.”
Chloe is also building her support and sponsorship team and anyone interested can contact her at oxwin8@gmail.com
