For Amelia Cho, playing in this year’s state golf tournament was more about having fun and enjoying the moment than trying to post a good score.
Still, the Oakcrest School junior did both. Cho shot a 3-over-par 74 to finish second in a field of 40 high-school players at the 18-hole Division II co-ed private-school state tourney at Meadowbrook Country Club in Richmond.
The winning score was an even-par round of 71 by Uzair Mirza of North Cross School of Roanoke.
“I have no complaints about my round and I’m really proud how I played,” Cho said. “I had been so busy with schoolwork recently I hadn’t been able to practice much.”
Cho’s round included two birdies, five bogeys and 11 pars. She was one over on the front nine and two over on the back. As a result of her score, Cho was chosen all-state in Division II, the only female player making the group.
“I didn’t drive the ball great and that put me in some tricky situations,” Cho said. “I did a good job of scrambling. My approach shots were great, I hit a lot of greens in regulation, and my putting was OK.”
Cho finished seventh in that same tournament last season with a 79 on the same course, when Oakcrest participated in the competition as a team. That did not happen this season.
In two previous high-school postseason tournaments this spring, Cho finished second with a 2-over 38 in the championship division of the girls 9-hole private-school invitational state tournament at Meadowbrook, and won the Virginia Christian Athletic Conference event at Fredericksburg Country Club with a 38.
With the 2023 high-school season finished, Cho looks ahead to a busy summer playing tournaments throughout the country on junior amateur tours.
Looking ahead further than this summer, Cho said she would like to play golf for a college team, but has made no decisions as to which school or level of play.
NOTE: Oakcrest did not have enough golfers to field a full team for the 2023 spring season. Cho said the team hopes more players will become available next spring to field a full squad.
