Calm and overcast weather greeted players this morning for the revamped Junior Victorian Open at 13th Beach Golf Links and Barwon Heads Golf Club. Over 180 of the very best juniors from across Australia and overseas assembled in chase for the coveted 2017 title. This year’s boys and girls winner will be guaranteed at start in the Oates Vic Open in February 2018.
Hannah Jihye Park is poised at the top of the leaderboard following the first round with a superb three under 69 to lead Victorian Alizza Hetherington and Singapore’s Anne Fernandez by a single shot for the girls title. Park knows how to win big tournaments after capturing the Australian Girls Amateur Championship at Devonport Golf Club back in April 2016. Park was solid all-day carding four birdies and just the one bogey for her round of 69.
Starting on the Creek Course (10th hole), Hetherington reached fiver under-par but a bogey on 8, and then a very unlucky double bogey as a result of her ball moving on 9 will see her eager to reconcile first thing tomorrow morning. At just 11 years of age Anne Fernandez eagled the par 5 18th on the Beach Course to start tomorrow just one shot in arrears of Park.
2017 Victorian Junior Masters winner Jackson Kalz is tied with New South Welshman Adam Throp for the lead in the boys section after the pair signed for scintillating five under-par rounds. Both Kalz and Throp competed on the Creek Course today as did David Howard who returned four under-par 68 to be placed in outright third.
Local Geelong player Mitch Crabbe walked onto his penultimate hole at five under, but a double bogey on the tricky 8th hole marred what was otherwise a brilliant round of golf. Also tied with Crabbe at three under is the in-form Jasper Stubbs after claiming the Murray River Junior Masters last week and Kartik Sharma of India who managed his way around Barwon Heads without a single bogey.
The Junior Victorian Open was first ran in 2013 as an 18-hole event in the lead up to the Oates Vic Open. Following on from the recent success of the Oates Vic Open, the Junior Vic Open expanded for 2017 over 72-holes at 13th Beach Golf Links and Barwon Heads Golf Club. All players will compete one round on the Beach and Creek courses at 13th Beach and one round at Barwon Heads before a 54-hole cut.