Karis Davidson (Queensland) and Henry Spring (New Zealand) have won the 2015 Subaru State Championships in contrasting fashion on a beautiful winter's day at The Links Shell Cove.
After starting the final round with a seven shot lead, it was going to take something special from Celina Yuan (The Australian) to challenge the Queenslander, and the current Australian Junior Champion; she got off to the perfect start with three birdies in the opening three holes.
Davidson remained steady however, with birdies on the first and ninth either side of seven straight pars saw her lead by six with nine holes to play. The tournament was over two holes later, when the Queensland star started the back nine with back to back birdies, before cruising home to a nine shot victory. Yuan remained second, also taking out the JNJG State Age Girls 16 Years Title, with Becky Kay (Queensland) finishing in third.
Kiwi Spring also looked to be cruising home, bogey free for 16 holes and leading playing partners Blake Windred (The Australian) and Matias Sanchez (Victoria) by five strokes with only two holes to play. In total control of the tournament, having only a tap in par putt on the 17th, Spring looked home. In what could only be described as "golf", Spring missed his par putt and then hooked his tee shot off the 18th tee deep into the hazard left of the fairway. When his recovery shot from the thick grass stayed in the hazard, forcing the Whakatane member to take a drop and play his fourth from some 240m out, Sanchez and Windred were all of a sudden a chance. Spring's fourth narrowly made it over the hazard, before pitching onto the green some 40 feet below the hole. A brilliant first putt left Spring with a tap in for a triple bogey seven, and the clubhouse lead at four under par, but the tournament wasn't over yet. Windred stood over his birdie putt, and Sanchez his par putt, both with a chance to force a playoff, but when both agonisingly stayed out, the State Championships was headed across the ditch.
NSW Junior Championships
Boys
279 (-4) H Spring (New Zealand)
280 (-3) M Sanchez (Victoria)
280 (-3) B Windred (The Australian)
Girls
276 (-8) K Davidson (Queensland)
285 (+1) C Yuan (The Australian)
293 (+9) B Kay (Queensland)
224 (+11) S Hall (The Australian)
JNJG State Age Championships Cup at Links Shell Cove
Boys 17 Years
Scratch – B Windred (The Australian) 280
Nett – H Keomoungkhoun (Campbelltown 5) 292cb
Boys 16 Years
Scratch – I Noh (The Australian) 282
Nett – B Borton (Antill Park 4) 281
Boys 15 Years
Scratch – J Gadd (Penrith) 288
Nett – B Thompson-Doolan (Monash 11) 284
Boys 14 Years
Scratch – J Hall (Wollongong) 296
Nett – L Brucic (Federal 4) 293
Boys 13 Years
Scratch – T Heaton (Port Kembla) 307
Nett – J Bell (Bonnie Doon 6) 296
Boys 12 Years
Scratch – H Remfrey (Ballina) 320
Nett – B Speechley (New Brighton 14) 294
Girls 17 Years
Scratch – K Convoy (The Australian) L Harris (Muirfield) 317. *Convoy won on the first playoff hole.
Nett – T Clarke (The Australian 8) 286
Girls 16 Years
Scratch – C Yuan (The Australian) 285
Nett – M Nurdi (St Michael's 2) 309
Girls 15 Years
Scratch – S Hall (The Australian) 301
Nett – D Vasquez (Bonnie Doon 2) 303
Girls 14 Years
Scratch – H Park (Dunheved) 305
Nett – M Toole (Belmont 8) 303
Girls 13 Years
Scratch – B Ji (Concord) 309
Nett – K Williams (Avondale 7) 302
Girls 12 Years
Scratch – Y Lin (Cammeray) 355
Nett – S Bosevski (Port Kembla 25) 291
Visit Jack Newton Junior Golf for full results and information.