Young amateur golfers tee off at Byron, Ocean Shores in NSW Junior Golf Championship
More than 200 accomplished amateur golfers have come together to battle it out in the NSW Junior Championship. Check out photos of the action.
Regional News
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North Coast golfing juniors have brought their A-game to the greens of Byron Bay and Ocean Shores, matching up with many of the country’s most accomplished young players.
Stella and Franceska Payne of Ballina, Tanya and Zane Lowe from Yamba, Hannah Blundell and Annalese McKee from Grafton, Elly Petrie from Tenterfield, and Hollie Fuller from Coffs Harbour have been among more than 200 athletes competing for glory in the NSW Junior Championship.
The four-day, 72-hole event across two courses at Ocean Shores Country Club and Byron Bay Golf Club is set to finish Friday.
In the girls division, Ella Scaybrooks entered the final day sitting a substantial five shots ahead of everyone else.
Shooting two under par on Thursday, the 17-year-old said she was “feeling confident”.
“It’s a great feeling, being in front,” she said.
“I try not to look at my scores but it’s hard not to when you’re live scoring. I like to know though – it doesn’t add any pressure.
“Two wins in a row would be really good and with it being my last junior championship, it would be a good thing to do.”
Sitting behind Scaysbrook in second place was Avondale’s Rachel Lee.
She shot four under par during her third round. Tied for third was Bundaberg’s Kate McFarlane and Royal Queensland’s Grace Rho.
This year saw a remarkable 74 players on a handicap of scratch or better.
Reigning Girls Champion Sarah Hammett of Emerald Lakes was set to defend her crown.
The 16-year-old won the 2022 NSW Women’s Amateur and finished a close third in the 2023 Women’s NSW Open at Tuncurry and is at the top of her game.
Hammett is Australia’s third highest-ranked female amateur golfer, behind US college-based Maddison Hinson-Tolchard and fellow Queenslander Justice Bosio.
Australian Junior champion and recent North Coast Junior Masters winner Ann Jang of NSW Golf Club has been aiming at adding a second NSW Junior title to her 2021 victory at Lynwood Country Club.
Other contenders include Avondale’s Rachel Lee, who won the Macarthur Junior Masters earlier this month and helped both NSW Interstate Teams to victory.
Scaysbrook, of The Australian Golf Club, is coming off her success at the NSW CHS Championships.
Wolston Park’s Taj Egea was leading the boys field with Sanctuary Cove’s Dujuan Snyman jumping seven spots into second place after shooting a phenomenal bogey-free round of four under par on Thursday.
“It would be great to win,” Egea said.
“A good step in my junior career and for college applications for the future. It would be nice to add this to the resume.”
Third place was shared by three boys – Bonnie Doon’s Samuel Cascio, Brisbane’s Chase Oberle and Avondale’s Riley Millers.
Cascio is fresh from a winning streak after claiming the Macarthur Junior Masters and the NSW CHS Championship titles in the last few weeks.
Ethan Anderson of Virginia Golf Club, on a handicap of +4.6 is also primed to take a win.
The boys face tight competition against winning Junior Interstate team members Toby Farrar (The Australian), Shashank Koirala (The Lakes), and Chun-Ta Wu (Long Reef), who have all been triumphant at Jack Newton Junior Golf events this year.
Jack Newton Junior Golf general manager Dale Hughes, said the tournament has been a massive success.
“It has been more than 20 years since this event was played in the area and despite Covid forcing the cancellation of the event in 2020 and 2021, and then the floods impacting the event in 2022, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed our time here,” he said.
“Ocean Shores Country Club and Byron Bay Golf Club can be very proud of how the golf course has been presented and the support the members have given the even has been fantastic.
“It may have been 20 years since we were last in this area for the event, but it won’t be that long until we return next time.”
The championship is known for unearthing future golfing sensations like Peter O’Malley, Matt Jones, Jan Stephenson and Sarah Kemp.
Recent winners include 2023 Play Today NSW Open champion David Micheluzzi (2014), PGA Tour winner Lucas Herbert (2012) and Challenge Tour regular Jordan Zunic (2010).
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