Golfer Joey Poh tops leader board after Day 1 of HSBC Women’s Champions qualifying

Contributed by Lorna Campbell

Tanah Merah Country Club, Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - The 2009 Host Country Invite, Joey Poh sits atop the leader board after day one of the HSBC Women's Champions Local Qualifying tournament after a round of 77.

Poh explained, "I didn't have a great start to the day; I was a little worried but once I got my focus it got better from there. My dad told me last night that I just had to concentrate on one hole at a time so that is what I did."

Three over on the front nine with a birdie on the ninth hole, the 16-year-old who has a handicap of 0.3 played two over on the back nine with a birdie on the 11th.

She continued, "I felt comfortable out there today with the club caddie and the course. I am used to it now and after playing under pressure last year at the HSBC Women's Champions, I don't feel the pressure anymore. I am aiming to get more birdies tomorrow as I missed a few chances today."

Poh who is a member of the HSBC Youth Golf Excellence Programme, is one shot ahead of Ji Jiali who came back from five over after 10 holes to shoot a round of 78. One shot further behind on 79 is Stephanie Loi who is taking part in the tournament for the third time.

Both Ji and Loi are happy with their performance today and are looking forward to seeing how it shapes up on the final day.

Ji said, "My coach Greg kept me focused out there today. I could not find the greens on the first 10 holes but on the back nine, it started to come together and I am happy overall. I was a bit nervous at the start as I placed high expectations on myself, so tomorrow I will be more focused and have the confidence to play well."

Loi will have friend and recent Asian Tour Qualifier, Quincy Quek on her bag tomorrow which she thinks will help keep her focused.

"With Quincy caddying for me, I know he will be able to help me concentrate better and find the best ball placements and hopefully get more birdies. I have not been playing much recently so I felt tired on the back nine and stamina will play an important part tomorrow," said Loi.

The youngest entrant in the field, 10-year-old Amanda Tan had a tough day on the Garden Course with a round of 89 but she had a good time playing with her peers.

She explained, "My putting and chipping were quite bad today but this was my first time playing on the Garden Course. The greens are bigger than I am used to but I did not feel nervous, I was quite relaxed and enjoyed playing with Amelia and Sok Hwee.

The 11 hopefuls will tee off tomorrow from 8.00am with the winner being announced at the end of play.

The player with the lowest score after two rounds will take the Local Host Country Invite in the HSBC Women's Champions which features the world's top female golfers and takes place at the Tanah Merah Country Club from 25 - 28 February, 2010.