Blues star Annika Rathbone showcased her dominance on the course today, surging to the top of the leaderboard after an electrifying opening round at the 2025 Ford Women’s NSW Open Regional Qualifying Event at Wagga Wagga Country Club.
The 21-year-old, who captained the 2024 NSW State Team, delivered a scintillating seven-under-par 66, including two eagles on the back nine.
Rathbone, a member of The Australian Golf Club and a recently qualified electrician working in high voltage for Sydney trains, combined precision and confidence to take a one-shot lead.
“It was a slow start today, but I thought, ‘I’ll hit the back nine and put my foot down,’ and that’s what I did,” Rathbone said.
“The first eagle was actually on a par five; I hit the green and then holed the putt. My second eagle was a hole-out from 118 meters. It was like one bounce, and it rolled into the hole—so that was pretty cool.”
Rathbone credited her all-around game for the strong showing.
“My irons, my ball striking, and my putting were pretty solid today, so my whole game was very good,” she said.
“I’ve actually been playing really well, so I’m feeling very confident, and it was nice to bring that to the first round.”
Balancing golf and studies has been no small feat for Rathbone, who recently completed her TAFE exams.
“It’s a relief off my shoulders, but I’ve been practising as much as I can and playing a fair bit too,” she said.
“I’m just going to stick to my game plan tomorrow, keep playing well, and see what happens.”
With a field of talented competitors on her heels, Rathbone is keeping her ambitions grounded but admits a victory would be sweet.
“It would be a dream come true, playing in my state open. You can’t beat it. I’m not going to get ahead of myself, though—just take it one shot at a time. A win would be the first big one on my resume.”
Rathbone, who is experiencing Wagga Wagga Country Club for the first time, had high praise for the venue and the community.
“I’ve never actually played here before. I got here on Tuesday, and I thought this course was very nice. All the members have been lovely, the Pro-Am yesterday was awesome, and the playing partners today were great. The hospitality has been amazing.”
Sitting just one shot behind Rathbone are Claire Shin from St. Michael’s Golf Club and Cobram Barooga’s Steffanie Vogel, both carding six-under 67s.
West Australian Kathryn Norris and South Australian Kristalle Blum are another stroke back at five under par.
The final round tees off at 8 a.m. tomorrow, with all the action live-streamed from 10 a.m. on the Women’s NSW Open website and via the SEN App.
