Staff WriterIf you’re hunting for fresh fireworks from the R&A Girls’ U16 Amateur Championship, circle 27 April 2025 in red ink.
On a crisp Cambridgeshire afternoon, 13-year-old Sabrina Wong turned the fairways of Gog Magog into her personal canvas, edging Ireland’s Hannah Lee-McNamara by a solitary stroke and rewriting the junior golf record book along the way.
A Record Book in Need of Reinforcement
Wong’s ten-under-par 203 wasn’t merely the lowest 54-hole tally in the eight-year history of the R&A Girls’ U16 Amateur Championship—it also made her the first competitor to scoop both the Angela Uzielli Trophy and the Liz Pook silverware for best-in-show under-14.
The Cathkin Braes member signed for rounds of 67, 66 and 70, demolishing par and a few misconceptions about how much a teenager can carry on her shoulders.
France’s Salome Lumbaca finished third on eight-under, while compatriot Axelle Guillemard’s closing 66 earned her solo fourth at minus-seven.
Impressive numbers, but the chatter belonged to Wong, whose résumé already reads like a junior edition of “Who’s Who” in golf.
High Drama on the Home Hole
Lee-McNamara, a Royal Portrush stalwart, applied the Sunday squeeze with a masterful 65, capped by a six-footer for eagle at the par-5 18th.
Wong, leading overnight, suddenly needed a birdie of her own to dodge extra holes.
Her seven-iron leaked right, but a nerveless chip zipped to ten feet. Cue the tremble: “My hands were really shaking over that final putt,” Wong admitted. “I wasn’t nervous when I started, but I was on the last two holes because I had missed so many birdie putts. So I was glad to make that putt at the last.”
The ball never wavered. Cue fist pump, cue history.
Quotes From the Front Line
Wong, now the youngest champion since the event began in 2018, tried to absorb the moment: “I like the sound of being the R&A Girls’ U16 champion. This is my biggest win because it was such a strong field.
“It’s actually a dream come true because last year I won the under-14 trophy and I really wanted to win the main trophy this year. Now I want to come back and win it again next year.”
Lee-McNamara, 15, found solace—and a game plan—in Augusta National highlights: “I knew it was possible to win because anything can happen in golf. I just went out with the Justin Rose attitude from the Masters and tried to go as low as I could.”
A Rising Star With Miles to Go
Victory at Gog Magog adds a third trophy to Wong’s 2025 haul, following runaway romps at the SGF Classic (by 13) and the Daily Mail World Junior (by 15).
Expect her World Amateur Golf Ranking to shoot north of its current 552nd when the list refreshes on Wednesday.
Not bad for someone who first picked up a club at two, joined Hong Kong’s national junior squad at seven, and now commutes from Glasgow’s Williamwood High to tournaments across the globe.
Her parents, Manson and Carol, moved the family halfway around the world to sharpen that swing; Sunday’s payoff suggests it was a shrewd bit of parenting.
What’s Next?
The R&A Girls’ U16 Amateur Championship has a knack for launching prodigies.
Don’t be surprised if Wong’s name starts appearing on leaderboards well beyond junior brackets.
As she proved under the gun on the 18th, the kid can handle heat. And in golf—as in life—that’s the shot money can’t buy.
