Malaysia’s top lady amateur Jeneath Wong aims to soak in the experience when she makes her Major debut in this week’s 78th U.S. Women’s Open Championship.
Wong is also hoping to make the halfway cut in the prestigious championship, which tees off at the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links in California on Thursday.
“I’m super pumped to be playing in my first Major! My target is to make the cut, but I also want to just have a really memorable experience at Pebble Beach,” said Wong.
The 18-year-old talent secured her spot in the U.S. Women’s Open with a runner-up finish in the Qualifying Tournament at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club last month.
Wong noted that she is really looking forward to taking on the iconic Pebble Beach layout, which is hosting a women’s Major for the first time. Pebble Beach has been the venue for seven men’s Majors including six U.S. Opens.
“I have not had a chance to play Pebble Beach yet and I’m super excited to have my first experience playing one of the world’s most famous courses. I plan to head there on the 2nd of July, which will give me four days to get used to the golf course and conditions,” she said.
Having completed her freshman year at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, Wong took the opportunity to head to the United Kingdom and play in one of the world’s top amateur events, the Women’s Amateur Championship, last month. She did well to reach the match play stage at Prince’s Golf Club in Kent, England, before bowing out in the second round.
“It was a great experience playing in the Women’s Amateur and I learnt a lot about how to play in super windy conditions. The wind was either blowing left or right and that made it much more challenging, so I definitely picked up a thing or two about how to play in those conditions,” said Wong, currently ranked 52nd in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Wong moved to Melbourne, Australia, with her family when she was 10 and established herself as one of the region’s top amateurs. She enjoyed a stellar freshman year with the Pepperdine Waves women’s golf team, amassing a 72.72 season scoring average to break the previous freshman record of 73.22 set by Danielle Kang in 2009-10.
In May, Wong and her team-mates created history when they reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Women’s Division 1 National Championship, a first for the Pepperdine Waves since the match play format started in 2015.
“The best part about college life is being able to play in all the big tournaments in the United States. If you win, you are exempt into some of the LPGA tournaments. It can be tough juggling school and golf, but I’m enjoying it,” shared Wong.
