Malaysia’s top-ranked lady amateur Jeneath Wong is super excited about making her maiden Major appearance in this year’s U.S. Women’s Open at the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links.
The 18-year-old secured a start in the prestigious championship following a runner-up finish in the U.S. Women’s Open Qualifying Tournament at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club in California on June 5. Wong carded rounds of 74 and 70 in the 36-hole, one-day qualifier for an even-par 144 total, one shot behind fellow amateur Amari Avery of the United States.
As the top two players in the field of 64, they both earned spots in the 78th U.S. Women’s Open Championship which tees off at Pebble Beach in California this July 6-9. This will be the first time that a women’s Major will be played at Pebble Beach, which has hosted seven men’s Majors including six U.S. Opens.
“I’m really excited at making my first Major appearance at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open. I’m so looking forward to playing at Pebble Beach, which is one of the most prestigious golf courses in the world. Most golfers dream to play there, so I’m just super thrilled to get to play the course,” noted Wong, currently ranked 57th in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Wong added that she plans to head to Pebble Beach a few days before the championship to familiarise herself with the layout and conditions. “I’ll probably go to Pebble Beach three to four days before the tournament to get used to the golf course and the greens,” said the freshman at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.
Wong has amassed a 72.72 season scoring average for the Pepperdine Waves women’s golf team, breaking the all-time freshman record of 73.22 set by Danielle Kang in 2009-10. Last month, Wong helped her team reach the NCAA Women’s Division 1 National Championship quarterfinals for the first time since the match play format started in 2015.
“College life has been really good! I just finished my first semester as a freshman and am now starting summer school, which lets me participate in big golf events around the world whilst attending school online,” shared Wong, who was born in Kuala Lumpur and moved to Melbourne with her family when she was 10 years old.
