Julianne Alvarez selected for Espirito Santo World Teams Championship

 NZ Golf names strong team for the Espirito Santo World Teams Championship

New Zealand Golf has named an experienced team to contest the 26^th Espirito Santo World Teams Championship in Japan.

The side to compete at the pinnacle event of world amateur golf is Julianne Alvarez (Manor Park), Munchin Keh (Titirangi) and Zoe-Beth Brake (Whakatane).

The biennial event will be staged at the Iriyama Course and Oshitate Courses of the Karuizawa Golf Club from 3 – 6 September with the Kiwis looking to back up their impressive showing in Turkey two years ago.

Keh, who made her senior debut for New Zealand at that event in 2012, will make her second appearance at the Worlds alongside Alvarez and Brake who will make their debuts at the World tournament. 

All three players have good experience on the international stage and form heading into the event.

Keh has been a standout performer on the local scene in the past two years. She won the New Zealand Amateur Championship in 2012 and this year won the North Island Stroke Play and two titles on the Charles Tour as well as finishing runner-up at the New Zealand Stroke Play Championship.

More recently the 21-year-old finished in a share of fifth place at the Singapore Ladies Stroke Play event.

Alvarez has been similarly impressive. The 18-year-old won three titles in 2013 including the New Zealand Amateur Championship, the New Zealand Under 19 title and the Harewood Open.

Her best results of 2014 include finishing as the top qualifier at the New Zealand Amateur Championship in Nelson and third at the Muriwai Open as she sits third on the New Zealand Golf Order of Merit.  

The Wellington No.1 has been a consistent performer for New Zealand on the international stage in the past three years since making her debut at the Astor Trophy in 2011.

Brake, who has impressed in recent time while playing on a golf scholarship at Ohio State University, returns to international golf for New Zealand after a hiatus.

The Bay of Plenty golfer will represent New Zealand for the first time in four years – the last time she donned the Silver Fern was at the Queen Sirikit Cup in 2010 when New Zealand hosted the event.

The former New Zealand Stroke Play Champion is currently the second New Zealand player on the World Amateur Rankings at 125, behind Keh (62) while Alvarez is 177.  

She enjoyed a successful amateur career in New Zealand for many years before she took a break from the game to join the Navy.

In more recent time in her Freshman Year for Ohio State, Brake has recorded three top-five finishes. She placed second at the Big Ten Championships and finished in a share of second place in the Westbrook Spring Invitational in February.

It is form that has seen her included on the All Big 10 First Team and her scoring average of 74.11 ranks second amongst her college team.  

The 22-year-old’s selection in the Worlds team is the fulfillment of a long-held goal after she narrowly missed selection in both 2008 and 2010.   

New Zealand has never won the Espirito Santo and the best results remain a runner-up finish at the championship in 1982 and 1990 at Geneva and Christchurch respectively.

In 2012 New Zealand was well led by then World No.1 amateur Lydia Ko, who was the player of the tournament, as they finished fifth in Turkey. 

The Espirito Santo Trophy is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for women organised by the International Golf Federation.

It is a stroke play event where the best two scores from three players count toward the team’s score for each round.

The inaugural event was held in 1964 at the St. Germain Golf Club in France and recent tournaments have featured teams from around 55 countries.

The team to represent New Zealand at the Eisenhower World Amateur Teams Championship in Japan will be named next week. 

Team to represent NZ at the Espirito Santo World Team Championship:

Julianne Alvarez (Manor Park), Munchin Keh (Titirangi), Zoe-Beth Brake (Whakatane).

Manager: Libby Steele.

Espirito Santo World Teams Championship Fact Box

When: 3 - 6 September

Where:  Iriyama Course and Oshitate Courses of the Karuizawa Golf Club, Japan.

For more information: CLICK HERE

Peter Thornton | New Zealand Golf
Media & PR Manager