Junior Regions Golf Event
Posted on: 7 December
Over the weekend Friday 4 to Sunday 6 December the largest junior golf tournament for country junior golfers was held at three golf courses in Ballarat. Known as the Junior Country Regions Tournament the emphasis is on the team concept where the scores of the six best boys and the two best girls’ for each round make up the team score. In addition the trophies for the best individual performances are highly sought after.
This year to help smaller golf districts to get a team of competitive strength the Super Regions concept saw three districts provide players for the team. Goulburn Murray, North East and Dalhousie Districts joined to enter the Hume Super Region team.
Day one was played at Buninyong Golf Club in the afternoon of Friday 4 December. Many of the players found the lightning fast greens and hilly tight course a difficult challenge. The local Ballarat District registered some good and overall consistent scores from team members to get off to a good start.
The second round of the event was played at Midlands Golf Club on Saturday morning which is a flatter course and with the greens not as fast as the previous day, nearly all members of the Hume team returned better scores. At the completion of Day two Ballarat Region were 129, Hume 158 and North West 160.
In the individual competition Hume’s Bailey Goodall (Shepparton) with 146, two rounds of 73 was one shot behind Angus O’Brien from South West Region who had returned rounds of 74 and 71. Hume’s Jack McDonald (Strathbogie) on 155 was in fourth and James Ralph (Mooroopna) sixth with 158. In the girls handicap event eleven year old Casey Chandler (Cobram- Barooga) with 142 net was just two shots off the pace.
Ballarat Golf Club was the venue for the third and final round on the morning of Sunday 6 December. Ballarat lived up to its reputation and the day welcomed the players with cold wind and squalls of rain. The course itself was in great condition but the wind played havoc with flighted shots and scoring was difficult. Most of the Hume Region players really fell away although battled on in the conditions but struggling with scores.
In the teams scratch division Ballarat won with +244 ahead of South West +269 with Hume well back in fourth place +372. In the handicap net score division Western Region won with +34 ahead of Ballarat +53, with Hume in fifth place with +90.
In the Girls scratch event Jazy Roberts from North West region proved her class to shoot a 75 in the wind at Ballarat and a three day score of 229 ahead of Molly McLean from Peninsula, who had a terrific first two days, and finished on 236. In the handicap division Alicia Todd from Ballarat won with 213 net, ahead of Olive Spitty from North West Region 217 and Hume’s Casey Chandler (Cobram-Barooga) finished fourth 220.
In the boys scratch event the leaders from day two Bailey Goodall (Shepparton) and Angus O’Brien (South West) were in for a great contest in the cold wind. At the half way mark the one shot difference from the finish of Day two was still there; however, over the back nine Bailey Goodall played some extremely good and steady golf while O’Brien dropped a couple of shots. To hammer home his advantage Goodall holed a birdie putt on the last hole for a total of 74 and a three round gross total of 220, two ahead of O’Brien on 222. Hume’s Jack McDonald (Strathbogie) finished with equal third best scratch score of 237.
Well done to all players and most importantly it is hoped that the eighty juniors from all around the regional parts of the state, who were selected in their teams really enjoyed and gained a lot from the experience.
Hume Region Girls left to right,
Olivia Thompson (Tocumwal) Sarah King (Broadford) Casey Chandler (Cobram-Barooga)
Hume Region Boys left to right
Liam Purtill (Tocumwal), George Davis (Hidden Valley), James Ralph (Mooroopna), Harry Guthrie (Wangaratta), Connor Flavell (Wodonga), Charley McKenna (Tocumwal), Jack McAuliffe (Wodonga), David Roberts (Team Manager, President GMGA), Ben Lawson (Wodonga), Ty Murray (Wodonga), Jack McDonald (Strathbogie), Bailey Goodall (Shepparton)
Boys Individual Scratch Winner Bailey Goodall with his trophies.