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Cecilia Cho was born in South Korea, and moved
to New Zealand with her family when she was 8 years old. She
took up the game of golf after that, when she went to a driving
range with some friends. Within a few years, she became one
of the top junior golfers in New Zealand.
In 2009, Cho won the New Zealand National
Amateur Golf Championship, beating the even younger Korean
New Zealander Lydia Ko in the final.
In 2010, Cho won the Srixon Women's Australian
Stroke Play Championship, becoming the youngest to ever accomplish
that feat. She lost in the final of the Australian Amateur
Championship, a match play event.
Cho's star continued to rise in 2011. By March
she rose all the way to the #1 world amateur ranking in women's
golf. At this point, however, her rivalry with good friend
Ko heated up. Ko claimed the Australian Stroke Play title
by beating Cho in a two hole playoff. Cho lost the Australian
Amateur in the semifinals to yet another Australasian Korean,
Min Jee Lee.
Cho then finished second by nine strokes to
Ko at the New Zealand Stroke Play Championship. This event
set up the draw for the New Zealand Match Play Championship,
which once again ended up being a final matchup between Cho
and Ko. And once again, Ko triumphed, beating her friend 4
and 3 in the final despite the fact Cho had won the event
the two previous years. This allowed Ko to rise to #1 in the
amateur rankings, knocking Cho down to #2.
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