New Zealand's leading

lady amateur turns pro

- may come to Europe

Dana Kim, New Zealand's leading woman amateur golfer, is to turn professional.
Kim, pictured right, who turned 20 on Sunday, has decided to try and qualify for the Korean Tour to start her professional career.
Kim, who has played for the Christchurch club and Canterbury, represented New Zealand in the Espirito Santo women's amateur team championship in Adelaide last year.
She was regarded as New Zealand's top amateur women golfer by year end.
She will leave for South Korea on March 6 to prepare for the first round of a qualifying school on March 31. If she makes the cut, she will have three more rounds to qualify for a secondary tour.
She said she would have liked to stay in New Zealand but that was impossible with no women's professional circuit in the country.
She hopes to use the Korean Tour as a stepping stone to the LPGA or Ladies European Tours. Kim said it was a difficult decision to turn professional but she was excited about her future.
"It has been a wonderful experience playing in New Zealand and I'm grateful for the support I've received from the Christchurch club, Canterbury Golf and especially New Zealand golf," she said.
Kim said she would be back next year to play in the New Zealand Women's Open at Clearwater, if invited.
She played this year and performed well to make the cut in the 54-hole tournament.
A New Zealand citizen, Kim intends to play under the New Zealand flag in professional events. Her final tournament as an amateur will be the Canterbury women's 54-hole strokeplay championship at the Waitikiri club this weekend.