Western Sydney Junior Masters – Lynwood Country Club
Juniors made the most of the brilliant conditions at Lynwood firing some hot scores in the inaugural Western Sydney Junior Masters. With the course looking fantastic and stunning weather conditions, Bonnie Doon's Mitchell Gannon took an early lead with an impressive four under par 68. Sitting hot on his heels was Josh Armstrong (Gold Creek) with a solid two under 70 and three others sitting a further shot back on 71. Heading into round 2 the championship was close and after nine holes only a shot or two separated the top three players.
Early in the afternoon Castle Hill's Jackson Bugdalski was clawing his way back in the tournament and had recorded six birdies after just nine holes. He backed that up with an extra four birdies on the back nine to finish with a very impressive seven under par round of 65. That put Jackson at two under for the tournament and sniffing at the lead. It was tournament leader, Mitchell Gannon, who remained calm and collected and finished with a solid round of even par to finish the tournament and take out the Overall Championship at four under. There was a three way tie for second place with Mitchell Norbis (Concord), Jackson Bubdalski and Corey Jones (Pymble) all finishing the event at two under par. Corey's total for the event was enough for him to successfully take out the Boys 14 and 15 Years and secure his seat on the bus to Bonville for the Champions Trophy.
The Boys 13 Years and Under was a very close contest after round 1 with only two shots separating eleven players. It was Gold Creek's Luka Brucic that emerged on top after 36 holes and clinched the title. He also gained a spot in the Champions Trophy.
In the Girls Championship Shelly Shin did it again! The Concord junior came from two shots behind after round 1 with an impressive three under par 69 to take the title from fellow club member Doey Choi by one shot. Doey lead the event after an opening round of two under par 70 but a bogey on the 36th hole saw the title slip from her grasp. This is Shelly's first Junior Masters win of 2014 and she will no doubt feature prominently over the 2014 season.
Antonia Gonzalez lead throughout the two days in the Girls 16 Years and Over and captured the title by twelve shots. In the 13 Years and Under Grace Kim (Avondale) narrowly edged out club mate Bella Kil by one shot to win the division.
JNJG would like to thank the Lynwood Country Club and all its staff and volunteers for hosting the event. Special thanks to Johnny and the team in the bistro for making us all feel very welcome. Also thank you to our rules officials for giving up their time to help our juniors. Last but not least thanks must go to the parents and supporters who continue to bring the players to our events. Without your support these events would not be possible.
The tournament was very successful with a field of 176 juniors participating, approximately 30 more than a similar event held at this time last year. With numbers on the rise in each tournament it is a good sign of the strength of junior golf in the state. The next event on the JNJG calendar is the Macarthur Junior Masters at the Campbelltown Golf Club on 8-9th June. Get your entry in now to secure your spot in this limited field.
For a full list of results from the event click here.
Boys
16 Years and Over:
Scratch Winner: M Gannon (Bonnie Doon) 140
Scratch Runner Up: J Bugdalski (Castle Hill) 142 c/b
Nett Winner: L Salvador (Belmont, 4) 142
Nett Runner Up: H Gulliver (Moore Park, 2) 144
14 and 15 Years:
Scratch Winner: C Jones (Pymble) 142
Scratch Runner Up: J Schouw (Cromer) 145
Nett Winner: B Tipping (Russell Vale, 13) 138
Nett Runner Up: J Gadd (Penrith, 4) 139
13 Years and Under:
Scratch Winner: L Brucic (Gold Creek) 157
Scratch Runner Up: A Powter (St Michael's) 158
Scratch Third Place: H Remfrey (Ballina) 159
Nett Winner: L Jones (Dubbo, 12) 138
Nett Runner Up: J Bell (Bonnie Doon, 13) 139
Stableford Winner: H Carver (Richmond, 27) 72pts
Stableford Runner Up: W Gordon (Forbes, 27) 71pts
Girls
16 Years and Over:
Scratch Winner: A Gonzalez (Concord) 147
Scratch Runner Up: Lucy Harris (Muirfield) 159
Nett Winner: C Davidson (Stonecutters Ridge, 13) 141
Nett Runner Up: B Baird (Manly, 9) 147
14 and 15 Years:
Scratch Winner: S Shin (Concord) 141
Scratch Runner Up: D Choi (Concord) 142
Nett Winner: S Hall (St Michael's) 146 c/b
Nett Runner Up: G Beohm (NSW, 14) 146
13 Years and Under:
Scratch Winner: G Kim (Avondale) 157
Scratch Runner Up: B Kil (Avondale) 158
Nett Winner: M Johnson (Moore Park, 11) 140
Nett Runner Up: T Nurdi (St Michael's, 8) 146
Stableford:
Winner: J Forrester (Kareela, 22) 74pts
Runner Up: A Rathbone (New Brighton, 22) 71pts