Emerging Adelaide youngster Jin-Young Yun has made the most of her final opportunity to snare the South Australian Junior Amateur girls’ crown.
Yun spearheaded a quinella for The Grange, edging clubmate Amelia Whinney into second place in the time-honoured 54-hole event, this year shared between Kooyonga and her home club.
It was a first national rankings event victory for Yun, who turns 18 in early April and will soon head to play American collegiate golf in Fresno in California.
It was also a national rankings event breakthrough in the boys’ division with Carter Mealing continuing the production line of West Australian success stories with another tight victory.
Mealing, a member at Joondalup, made a bogey up the closing hole on The Grange’s east course for a four-under-par total, but clung to victory by a shot from Geelong’s Mitch Crabbe, a member at Melbourne’s Commonwealth Golf Club.
Mt Lawley’s Jordan Jung was only one shot back in third with, remarkably meaning four West Australian boys were in the top eight. The best of the local finishers was Kyle Hayter, a member at Kooyonga, who was fourth at even par overall.
Another South Australian, Royal Adelaide’s William Arnold, canned a hole-in-one at the short seventh at Kooyonga in round one and largely remained in contention until a flat final nine at The Grange meant he drifted to a share of 15th after a closing 80.
Yun, who also won the concurrent Kooyonga Summer Cup, set up her victory with a three-under-par 71 in the second round at Kooyonga, giving her breathing space before a nervy final round.
Having started the final round on the 10th tee at two under in total, Yun took double on the 13th in a first sign of tension.
But those nerves appeared to have gone when she birdied the first and third (her 10th and 12th holes) to restore her huge advantage after Whinney began with five bogeys in her opening nine holes.
From out of the blue, though, Yun dropped six shots from the fifth through the eighth to shoot a closing 78 at her home club and bring the field much closer, although the danger had long since passed.
Mealing had begun the final round six shots adrift of Crabbe, whose six-under total through 36 holes was enough to win the concurrent Kooyonga Summer Cup by two shots over Jung at four under.
But Mealing would not be deterred. He dropped five birdies in the opening nine holes at The Grange on the final day to close within a couple of the lead and past Jung at the turn.
Crabbe, a home member at Barwon Valley, bogeyed the 11th, but still had control until a double at the 14th.
The Victorian birdied the 15th in response, but gave another two shots back with a double on the long 16th to cede the lead for the first time.
Mealing birdied the 17th to give himself a slight buffer, but his closing bogey again tightened the title race, but Crabbe was unable to birdie the tough par five and had to settle for second.
The quality golf in Adelaide continues today and tomorrow with the 72-hole SA Junior Masters at Royal Adelaide.