Date: May 03, 2009
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Australia ready for challenge in Japan

Golf Australia today announced the Australian team to compete at the Toyota World Junior Golf Championship from 18-21 June at Chukyo Golf Club in Nagoya, Japan. Nathan Holman (VIC), Luke Humphries (NSW), Cameron Smith (QLD) and Jordan Zunic (NSW) make up the team to travel to Nagoya. A total of around 14 nations compete in the Toyota World Junior Golf Championship each year including Sweden, Norway, Australia, Denmark, England, Korea, India, Argentina, Colombia, America, Mexico, Guatemala, South Africa, Kenya, New Zealand and Japan. The qualifying process includes around 60 countries who endeavour to win a place in the tournament. Australia qualified by winning the Clare Higson trophy in the recent Trans- Tasman Cup against New Zealand. Holman won the 2008 Victorian Junior Championship and was runner-up at this year s Tasmanian Junior Masters. Humphries was selected to play for Australia at the Trans-Tasman Cup in March after his win at the NSW Junior Championship in 2008. Smith is the current Greg Norman Junior Masters, Queensland Boys Amateur and Schweppes Tasmanian Junior Masters champion. He also represented Australia in Canberra at the Trans-Tasman Cup. Zunic is a former Jack Newton International Junior Classic and NSW Junior champion and qualified for the New South Wales Open. He was undefeated at the Australian Boys Interstate Teams Matches championship in Alice Springs earlier in April. Australia has competed in this event the past two years, finishing third each time. Golf Australia/AIS High Performance Program Manager Peter Knight said the selected players were in good form for the trip to Japan. The team going to Nagoya consists of players who have been performing extremely well this year. I am sure that with the knowledge of the tournament and the course that we have gained over the past two years, we will do extremely well in 2009.