ALL it took was a birdie putt on Hole 18 for the NMI’s Zhimin Jin to win the gold medal in the individual women’s golf event of the 2022 Pacific Mini Games on Friday at Coral Ocean Resort.
Jin beat her closest competitor, the Cook Islands’ Rotana Howard, by just one stroke. Howard brought home the silver while Samoa’s Faith Vui received the bronze medal.
Jin finished the final round with a score of 79 and a total of 312 on the fourth and final day of the competition that started on June 21, 2022. The Cook Islands’ Howard shot 1-over par 73, Friday, for a four-day total of 313.
The golfers had to deal with a “very hot and humid” weather and strong wind, said Jin, a 15-year-old incoming 10th grader at Marianas High School.
On Friday, she shot 39 on the front nine and 40 on the back. She said it was “little disappointing” when she missed short birdie putts.
“I could have shot 76 maybe, if I did not miss those easy putts,” she said. “But I’m still proud of my score.”
Jin secured a slot in the top-ranked group after shooting a 78 on the first day of the golf event. Before the final day of the competition, she was in the top four with Tahiti’s Flavia Reid-Amaru, New Caledonia’s Mansbendel Mohea and Guam’s Tyanna Jacot.
On day 3, Jin shot 77 to seize the lead.
On the final day, all eyes were on Jin. “Honestly, the weather was a factor,” she said. “It was really hot and humid and the wind was really strong. Then in the middle of the game, rain started pouring.”
Throughout the last round, she was rehydrating herself, she said.
After securing the gold, Zhin said she would like to share her victory with all the other NMI golfers. “I am proud of you guys — you made it through this hard condition. You guys tried your best and you are awesome,” she added.
Jin started playing golf when she was seven years old, stopped playing for about three years and returned to the course last year.
She thanked her family, the NMI golf team, and the islands’ top golfer, Joe “Kamikaze” Camacho.
Jin’s coach, Yuko Togawa, said they had been preparing for the Mini Games since October last year. “All the hard work paid off. I am happy, and I am so proud of her. There’s so much excitement today,” Togawa added.
Men’s golf
Bringing home the men’s gold medal was New Caledonia’s Koch Hugo who birdied on Hole No. 4 and shot a 77 on the final day of the competition. His four-day total was 296, beating his compatriot, Castagne Guillaume, and Guam’s Ivan Sablan who were tied in second with a total score of 298.
“I am very happy that I played very good today, and won the gold medal both in the team and individual competitions,” said the 17-year-old Hugo.
He said the condition on the course was good but the wind was very strong. Also, he added, the weather here was a lot hotter than in New Caledonia.
Hugo’s coach, Julien Foret, said, “I am extremely happy because our young player was very solid. All day, he played very well although the course was very tough and the condition of the weather was not very easy.”
Lowest gross of the day
The golfer who shot the lowest gross on the final day was the NMI’s Franco Santos with a 3-under par 69. He, however, finished No. 4 overall with a total score of 302.
He said the strong wind affected his game, but he was glad that on the final day, he performed well on the most difficult hole, No. 11, a par 4 hole, landing his ball to the left side of the fairway and making it to the green with two putts only.
2022 Pacific Mini Games women’s golf gold medalist Zhimin Jin of the NMI, center, with silver medalist Rotana Howard of the Cook Islands and bronze medalist Faith Vui of Samoa.
The NMI’s Zhimin Jin, center, with her team mates Soarin Oh, Niramai Koebel, Yuko Togawa and Rose Rohringher.
Men’s golf gold medalist Koch Hugo, 2nd right, of New Caledonia with his team mates.
The NMI’s Franco Santos prepares to tee off on Hole No. 3.
