Oh wow! Former prodigy upstages big names at Australian Open
MELBOURNE : Some 15 years after teeing off at the Australian Open as a 12-year-old, home golfer Su Oh is again making a splash at her national event after emerging from a prolonged form slump to snatch a share of the clubhouse lead on Thursday.
Oh shot an opening round of 66 at Kingston Heath on Melbourne's sandbelt to be level on seven-under par with South Korean amateur Yang Hyo-jin, the pair upstaging a slew of major winners at the dual gender event.
Oh, 28, had been tipped for big things having become the Australian Open's youngest qualifier in 2009 and the world's top-ranked amateur four years later.
She claimed victory in her second professional start at the Australian Ladies Masters in 2015 to earn a two-year exemption on the Ladies European Tour.
With the world seemingly at her feet, South Korea-born Oh promptly disappeared off the radar until breaking a seven-year win drought at the inaugural Australian WPGA Championship in Brisbane in 2022.
The victory was a beacon in an otherwise gloomy few years which saw her lose her LPGA Tour card.
She has since struggled on the developmental Epson Tour, missing nine out of 12 cuts in 2024 and earning $7,400 for the season.
"Good thing I like playing golf. I think I wouldn't keep playing if I didn't like it," Oh quipped after savouring a nine-birdie round in glorious morning conditions.
