Riverside Highlights Issue 17 Half Term Highlights Term 3b 2016-17 | Page 28

SHREWSBURY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
VICKY SHOWS THE PRO’S HOW ITS DONE
On Sunday 30 th April, Vicky Tip-Aucha, a Year 10 student from Shrewsbury
International School Bangkok made history by becoming the first female
golfer to ever compete on the MENA Golf Tour, and only the second female
(alongside Michelle Wie) in the entire history of the sport to compete as a jun-
ior. Whilst only a handful of professional female golfers have actually com-
peted alongside male professionals in any competition, none, including Annika
Sorenstam, arguably the greatest LPGA player of all time, had previously
made the cut through to the final round.
Having recovered from an ankle ligament injury which affected much of her
2015-16 season, Vicky enjoyed an incredible season, becoming the top ranked
female Junior in Bangkok, and securing both the BISAC and FOBISIA titles.
The omens for success on the MENA Tour’s MahaSamutr Masters event only
improved when another excellent performance in the opening Pro-Am compe-
tition saw Vicky adding another title to her collection alongside two-time
Open Championship player, Zane Scotland.
After a Monday of practice and interviews, including a one-to-one with Pro J
from Tee-off airing on Fox Sport, Vicky’s attention turned to the test ahead in
the individual competition. “This is a new challenge for me. I love challenges
because they offer me an opportunity to grow in some way and stretch my
creative muscles”.
Up against 124 male professionals and 15 male amateurs from 25 countries,
Vicky admits to experiencing some initial nerves, keen firstly just to make the
cut. After 36 holes of solid strokeplay, however, she’d one enough to continue
through to the final 18 in a more relaxed frame of mind, and playing with re-
newed confidence she ended her final round in 42 nd position overall; the 4 th
placed amateur and ahead of 86 male professionals.
A reflection of both her modesty and her continual desire to improve, Vicky
summed up the history-making achievement in typically understated fashion:
“The MENA tour was very exciting and I had a lot of fun playing with guys.
Even though I didn’t play as well as I hoped to, the experience is the thing that
counts and I will definitely learn from this tournament”.
Fredrik Edmunds, Shrewsbury’s Director of Golf, however, was keen to put
Vicky’s efforts in a more realistic context: “Vicky may claim to be disappointed
with her performance, as that is who she is - a competitor. When you look at what she has achieved…. it is
staggering. Amongst the hype swirling around her participation, there is a 15 year old girl, who held her
own against touring male professionals from all over the world. We are very proud to have Vicky in our
Shrewsbury Golf Team, and applaud all her achievements she manages while delicately balancing her aca-
demics. I am glad we can not only provide her, and our other elite golfers, with opportunities to test and
stretch themselves, but also offer experience for what a career in golf actually entails. Vicky not only made
history as the first female to compete on the MENA Tour, but this would also have been the first time Vicky
would have encountered Media and Sponsorship Responsibilities. These are the valuable lessons that will
help Vicky fulfill her future goals as a professional golfer, and Shrewsbury will continue to do all that we
can to support her”.
An exciting summer lies in store for Vicky, starting with the SISBAA golf tournament - where last year she
played with Class of 2015 star Jan, now a key member of the Illinois University golf team - before herself
heading back to the USA to compete in five different competitions, including the VSGA Girls Junior Cham-
pionships in Virginia, where she hopes to defend the title she won in 2016.
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