The 2018 Sportscover Victorian Junior Masters kicked off today at the Churchill-Waverley Golf and Bowls Club. A bumper field with some of the finest young golfers internationally and interstate assembled at the Churchill site under clear skies in chase for this years coveted title. The tournament has one of the most impressive honour rolls in Australian junior golf with Aaron Baddeley winning in 1998, prior to winning 2 Australian Open titles and then Jason Day taking home the title in 2005.
Yuka Saso is leading the girls line up with a great round of three under-par 70 this morning. Hailing from the Philippines, Saso is in fine form of recent time finishing runner-up in both the Junior Victorian Open only several weeks ago and the 2017 IMG World Junior Championship. The world number 44 is the highest ranked girl in the field and is no stranger to big events after she played in the Japan Ladies Open and recorded 2017 wins at the Philippine Amateur Match Play Championship as well as the Philippine Junior Amateur. Her playing partner and South Australian representative Charlie Jacobs is two shots behind the overnight front runner. Western Australian Maddison Hinson-Tolchard signed for 74 to be paced in outright third.
This years girls winner will receive a guaranteed start into the $1.3 million Oates Victorian Open.
It’s tight for the boys title, with Queenslander Ryan Stitt and Victorian James Walker tied at the top of the table after the pair fired rounds of one-under par 71 on the challenging Churchill layout. Walker, a member of Wodonga Golf Club had the best of the conditions heading out early before the afternoon breeze slowly gathered momentum. Meanwhile this afternoon Burleigh member Stitt had an up and down day with six birdies, five bogeys and seven pars for his one-under tally. Solid rounds from Sam Slater and New Zealand’s Tyler Wood place them two shots in arrears of the joint leaders at one-over par. A cluster of eight sit at plus two including defending champion and 2017 Junior Victorian Open winner Jackson Kalz.
Click here for today’s results, photos and further information.