AFRICA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

February 3, 2026

Lisa Coetzer

Quick Quotes

Q. How does it feel to be here competing in your second Women's African Amateur Championship?

LISA COETZER: Yeah, I'm really excited. It's not Leopard Creek, but it's one of my favorite courses. The course is looking good, and I'm really excited for the week ahead.

Q. How do you feel to be here at Royal Joburg?

LISA COETZER: Yeah, I'm really excited. Royal is one of my favorite courses, especially the east. It's a tough course. They call it "east the beast" for a reason. I'm really excited for the week ahead.

Q. Is it one of the biggest events you've played, this one?

LISA COETZER: Yeah, definitely. I've played a couple of R&A events like the Girls' Amateur, but this is definitely one of the biggest ones I've played because it's aired on TV and everything.

Q. You're playing in South Africa but also showcasing the whole of Africa and the continent; that must feel pretty special?

LISA COETZER: Yeah, it's really special, and I'm blessed to have this opportunity.

Q. A little bit about your background; who inspired you to play golf?

LISA COETZER: Mostly my dad at the beginning, and then Lexi Thompson mostly, and then we get the South Africans like Nicole Garcia and Casandra Alexander were big inspirations for me, but getting into the game was mostly my dad because it was nice family time and all of that.

Q. You started when you were really small?

LISA COETZER: Yeah, so I started pushing a ball around when I was two and then competition golf when I was seven, so I've been playing for a while.

Q. Did your dad show you around the course and caddie for you?

LISA COETZER: Yeah, so my dad caddied for me until last year, and then he said, because I want to go to U.S. college, and that's no-caddie events, so I started doing all my caddying myself, so I can kind of prepare for that.

But yeah, he supports me a lot, and he helps me if I need it. Yeah, I'm very grateful for him.

Q. What do you hope to achieve in the game?

LISA COETZER: I want to go to a U.S. college, a D-1 college, and then I want to get a good degree and start playing LET Tour and then get to LPGA and then become No. 1 in the world.

Q. What would it mean to win here?

LISA COETZER: It would mean a lot to me because just getting the experience at all these events, like getting into the AIG Women's Open final qualifiers, it's insane. Then you get into a couple LET events over here, which is also really nice. Just the experience to be here and then possibly get into those tournaments is just even better.

Q. Are you learning a lot from the other players here, the other girls, the other guys?

LISA COETZER: Yeah, I have loads of friends here, and you're learning -- you're always learning. I'm always learning. It's really interesting to see how other players play the course and how they go about -- like what their game is and how they can almost fix it if it's wrong, so it's really interesting to see what the players do.

Q. What does the R&A mean to you in terms of bringing golf to other countries and bringing opportunities?

LISA COETZER: I love the R&A, personally. Their tournaments are so nice. They are so well-run. They support golf and women's golf especially. I really enjoy the R&A. All the staff is so nice. I just love the tournaments that they host. So I'm really excited.

Q. Toward the end of last season you were playing really well and you were mentioning this is one of the first times you're playing this season. How does that feel?

LISA COETZER: Yeah, it's the first event for my season. I did loads of prep work just getting my swing in a good state so it's repetitive and then just loads of short game work with my coach, and then we went and played a lot on the golf course so I get that playing work in, as well, and then I did a lot of mental work with my sports psychologist, as well, because it's important.

Q. You are currently the No. 1 ranked amateur in South Africa; what does that mean to you going into the championship this week?

LISA COETZER: Yeah, it's really special. I mean, just having those two titles at a young age like what I am now, it's really special, and it's something big. But my coach and I have worked hard to get there, and we've now decided it's not going to stop here. Now I'm just going to work on getting my WAGA ranking even higher. There's competition wherever you go, so I'm just going to try and play my own game and focus on the course, not on the players. Yeah, I'm really excited.

Q. This is the second time you've played the Africa Amateur; how do you feel that the field is from last year to this year? Do you feel there's progression in the field and a lot more competition?

LISA COETZER: There's definitely a lot more competition than last year. I feel like we have a couple more international Africans, as well. It's going to be an interesting event, I think. Yeah, it's going to be cool.

Q. How does it feel to play against players from other countries in Africa?

LISA COETZER: Yeah, it's really exciting because I have a couple friends coming to these events, and then I made loads of friends last year. It's just nice to see them again. The competition is really nice, to not be playing the same girls over and over again. It's just nice to have something new, and the competition, as well, it's really nice.