Colombian Mariajo Uribe has slipped under the radar to some extent at the ISPS Australian Women`s Open at Royal Canberra, her round of 9 under par 64 coming at almost the same time as New Zealander Lydia Ko birdied her final hole to finish at 10 Under.

As a consequence her brilliant effort was lost in the mire to a large extent with the hype surrounding Ko`s great start but there is little doubting the talent the 22 year old possesses.

Uribe is one of the growing number of South American golfers emerging on the world scene. The Argentineans led the way when Roberto De Vicenzo won the Open Championship in 1967 but since then Angel Cabrero has won the Masters and the US Open and players such as Camilo Villegas have continued to fly the Argentinean and South American flags in significant events worldwide.

In 2007 as a 17 year old Uribe won the US Amateur Championship during a period where she attended the UCLA but although she has made steady progress on the LPGA Tour and is now into her fourth year it is still a work in progress.

She won an unofficial event in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and has had several top tens with a best of 7th and importantly has kept her status allowing her to further develop her considerable game.

Today`s start gives her a great opportunity to improve on her previous best and although her effort escaped the attention of many today she will get her chance to display her class to a greater audience as the week progresses.