Date: August 14, 2015
Author: Golf Victoria

School Sport Australia 17 & under champs wrap


Day 4 Wrap

It was a frosty final days play at Yowani Golf Club today for the 2015 School Sport Australia Championships. A freezing -3 degrees when play commenced at 7.00am, hand warmers were a must! The icy greens and fairways made approach shots difficult to judge but as the sun peeped through conditions eased and it was soon a perfect golfing day.

Heading into today's play the girls were still in with a chance for the title. Battling it out against the home territory, they required at least five matches and for NSW to beat QLD 4/2 or better. NSW were able to convincingly overcome their QLD rivals winning 5/1, but the Vic girls would only defeat ACT 4/2 leaving them 1.5 matches shy of the victory! The days highlight (if not the week) was Steffi Vogel's (Cobram-Barooga Golf Club) gutsy comeback today winning 8/6 following being forced to withdraw from play yesterday due to injury. Matsumoto (Victoria Golf Club) was also able to finish off her already successful week on a high, winning the 18th hole with a birdie against her ACT opponent, Chloe Thornton.

The boys team should be commended for their determination right to the end this week. This team strength and will power was evident in today's round. They faced the number one ranked team NSW and early in the contest five of the six matches were down except for captain Cameron John (Waverley Golf Club) who held a lead over Isaac Noh. John would eventually prevail, a birdie from Kasey Cathcart (Patterson River Golf Club) on 18 would give the Vics there second match. But the days highlight was Tristan Britt's (Victoria Golf Club) fighting finish, winning his last four holes to win his match and square the contest with NSW! The Vics were the only team for the week to take points from the 2016 Champions.

Both team managers were thrilled with both teams efforts and look forward to celebrating at the presentation dinner tonight. In the meantime, the team are in preparation for our annual 'State of Origin' football match against SA to commence later this afternoon.

For full results and ladders please click here.
 

Day 3 Wrap

Following snow fall on excursion day, both Victorian teams were fired up for their round three and four contests played at Gungahlin Lakes Golf Club on day three. The girls would face QLD and SA while the boys would battle it out with SA and WA. 

Unfortunately Steffi Vogel would withdraw from play before the morning round with an injured shoulder. As she watched from the sidelines, her team mates started strong all holding leads through the turn except for Johnson who was two down through 10 holes against Darcy Habgood. Johnson rallied with the news it was advantage Victoria in all other contests, in the end she would square her contest on the 18th hole. Meanwhile Hetherington and Fernando both won their contests giving Victoria 2.5 points in total. It was then down to the wire with Matsumoto playing Kirsty Hodgkins, Matsumoto was up for most of the day but Hodgkins fired two birdies on the last three holes to claim the victory for her state. Despite the disappointment, the girls were able to proudly bounced back in the afternoon round against SA winning 4/2 to give themselves a chance heading into the final days play.

The Victorian boys got off to a sleepy start against SA and were eventually beaten 4/2. However Walker continued his great form effortlessly winning 5/3 against his SA opponent. This is Walker's first state representation, and team manager David Hutchinson 'is delighted' with his consistent and impressive form. Similarly to the girls, the boys were able to fire up for the afternoon following a 'hard day at the office' and come away with a squared contest against WA, with clutch 1up victories from Walker and Chierego.

The final day of play will be held at Yowani Golf Club tomorrow from 7am.

Click here for full results

Day 2 Wrap

Another successful day for the girls team at the School Sport Australia 17 & Under Championships winning both contests for the day. Following a confidence boosting 5/1 win over WA in round one, the girls carried this form into the second round against the strong NSW outfit. Through the turn most matches were to the Vics advantage but the NSW team fought back squaring two matches on the 18th. But wins from the experienced Matsumoto and Johnson sealed the 4/2 victory. Other highlights included Steffi Vogel's near ace on the 17th hole. Yet to have a hole in one, this week Vogel has stuck three approach shots on par 3's within a foot. Perhaps this is her week! 

It was a hard day at the office for the boys this morning against QLD going down 5.5/0.5. The score certainly didn't reflect the closeness of the contest with team manager David Hutchinson happy with 'the boys commitment to each match'. Their fighting character continued in the afternoon round against the ACT, with early wins from Chierego and Britt setting up a solid 4/2 win.

The teams now look forward to their excursion day at the War Memorial before battling it out again on Thursday.

Day 1 Wrap

Students from the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia were challenged by the cold conditions and strong winds at Federal Golf Club.

Corey Jones and Isaac Noh from NSW both shot two rounds of 74 to move into a sudden death playoff. Jones prevailed after the first playoff hole. Lochlan Coleborn (Qld) and Jordie Garner (NSW) finished one shot behind in third, with Joshua Armstrong (ACT) and Cameron John (Vic) a further shot behind in fifth. 

In the girl’s event, Kono Matsumoto of Victoria shot rounds of 69 and 76 to win by five shots. Matsumoto played her best golf for the year to be a runaway winner. Amy Chu (NSW) was second, with Shanaiah Fernando (Vic) and Darcy Habgood (Qld) a further four shots back in third place.

A full list of the results can be found on the School Sport Australia Website.