Opening Golf to the World
Girls' Amateur
Coetzer progresses to Girls' Amateur quarter-finals amid stellar season
13 Aug 26
6 mins
Lisa Coetzer is looking to add a second R&A title to her list of accomplishments after progressing to the quarter-finals of the Girls’ Amateur Championship at Craigielaw.
The 16-year-old South African is the highest-ranked player among the remaining eight players at 236th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®). She took her place in the last-eight by beating Germany’s Julia Zimmermann 3&2 in their third-round contest. “It was a tough match but they are all tough at this stage because there are so many good players,” Coetzer said. “But I got up early when I won the 4th hole and I was comfortable when I was four-up after 11. “I should have won the 12th hole but I three-putted from 20 feet and made a silly bogey. That really rattled me. Then she started holing putts, including a really long one on the 13th. So I just stayed patient, trusted my processes and thankfully it all worked out.” This is the South African’s third year playing in the Girls’ Amateur and she’s broken new ground by making the quarter-finals. However, she was expected to go far in this Championship given the season she’s had. Coetzer has won five times in 2026 including the R&A’s African Amateur Women’s Invitational, the South African Women’s Amateur Stroke Play and Match Play Championships. She then held her own among the professionals by finishing low amateur in the Investec South African Open on the Ladies' European Tour.
Lisa Coetzer has her sights on another victory.
“This has been a big year for me because winning the African Amateur Women’s Invitational and then making the cut in the South African Women’s Open was massive.
“Those results have been huge for my confidence, especially the Women’s Open. Making the cut in a big LET event showed me my game is good enough that I can compete on a professional level. Sometimes you really don’t know how good your game is playing in amateur tournaments but to play well against the professionals tells my game is in a great place.”
As for this week, Coetzer just sees her results so far as further proof her game is in good shape.
She added, “This is my third time playing in this Championship and this is the furthest I’ve gone. To get into the quarters is such a thrill. My goal was basically just to make the cut and see how far I could get. Now I’m hoping to go much further.”
Aside from another tilt at this Championship next year, Coetzer has her sights set on playing college golf in September 2028.
“College golf has been a goal of mine for a very long time because I’m good friends with (LET & Sunshine Ladies Tour professional) Caitlyn Macnab. When she got into a US college (Texas Christian University) I committed myself to going to college in America too. So I’ve verbally committed to attend Texas A&M and I can’t wait to get there.”
First she has to get past French player Axelle Guillemard at Craigielaw. Guillemard defeated England’s Annabel Peaford by one-hole to reach the quarter-finals.
Axelle Guillemard will face Lisa Coetzer in the quarter-finals.
A Coetzer victory would be a first in the history of the Girls’ Amateur. No South African has won the title since its inauguration in 1919. Compatriot Lourenda Steyn also has a chance to become the first South African winner. She’s also through to the quarter-finals after seeing off Scotland’s Hannah Ounap, the only Scot to make the third round after Melissa Keay went down 4&3 in the second round to strong Swiss player Lana Guyot.
In the other two quarter-final matches, Guyot plays Norway’s Marie Sandtorv Lussand, while the fourth match sees French player Salome Lumbaca take on Spain’s Marta Munoz.
Sabrina Wong’s dream of becoming the second player after Scotland’s Hannah Darling to complete an R&A double of winning the Girls’ and Girls’ U16 titles ended when the 14-year-old lost in the second round to Munoz.
Wong, winner of the 2025 Girls’ U16 Amateur and the highest-ranked player to start the Championship at 164th, got off to a good start when she birdied the par-5 2nd hole to go one-up. However, the Spaniard won four holes from the sixth, three of them with birdies, to take control of the match. She ran out a 5&4 winner.
Full results from Thursday's matches can be found here.