Wonderkids: Top 20 junior golfing talents from NSW to keep an eye on in 2023
NSW is host to a pool of up and coming talented golfing juniors, achieving incredible results both locally and abroad. CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF THE TOP 20 JUNIOR GOLFING TALENTS.
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NEW South Wales has a strong contingent of talented juniors in the sport of golf.
This talented pool of juniors are a part of Jack Newton Junior Golf scene, which hosts an array of tournaments and competitions at golfing clubs across the state.
In 2022 there were a number of junior golfers who had impressive victories and accolades, to which NewsLocal has found 20 of the brightest.
Check out the full list of 20 talented juniors below.
Ella Scaysbrook
Ella Scaysbrook, 16, is a rising star who continues to develop her game.
A local to Newcastle but playing out of the Australian Golf Club, Scaysbrook plays off a +1 handicap.
In 2022 she won the Jack Newton Bonville Championship trophy in the female division.
She is also a former club champion at Newcastle Golf Club and Port Macquarie Golf Club, alongside a number of other accolades in her short career.
Solid all around, very talented off the tee and a strong long game, Scaysbrook is a part of the Australian amateur that commenced in January 2023.
Lachlan Lawson
Lachlan Lawson of Nelson Bay golf club is tipped to be one of the stars of the future.
In the last 12 months the 15 year old has made a real shift towards committing to turning professional, currently boasting a +0.8 handicap.
He took out the annual Horizons Cup at Horizons Golf Resort in October in a field of 60 players.
Lawson also took out the Junior Championship at Nelson Bay, as well as the District Champion of Champions.
The youngster accredits much of his success last year to Nelson Bay golf pro Warren Moses, who offers tremendous support and opportunity to the rising star.
Amy Squires
Amy Squires, 16, plays out of Horizons Golf Resort and has achieved a lot in her short career.
Typically playing off scratch, the youngster has picked up district championships and champion of champions titles in the past and just competed at the Australian Amateur.
In 2020 she became the youngest person to win the Nelson Bay Golf Club ladies club championship.
A strong ball striker, Squires has aspirations of travelling to America and going to college to play and possibly coach golf.
Sam Cascio
Rising star Sam Cascio had a history-making 2022.
The 15 year old took out the Club Championship and Junior Club Championship at Wollongong Golf Club, in doing so becoming the youngest winner of the Club Championship since 1995.
Cascio’s reputation is growing fast in the golf scene, being invited to participate in the inaugural Blitz Golf event at Wollongong Golf Club, which was a great opportunity to play with some golfing pros.
Still young and quite small, Cascio is working hard to improve his long game to catch up with his competition.
He makes up for this with a stellar short game though, so once he finds the balance between short and long, some think he will be unstoppable.
Sienna Clarke
A successful year for another Illawarra junior.
16-year-old Sienna Clarke of the Illawarra Sports Academy is fast rising up the golfing ranks, having had victory in the 2022 Harvey Norman Sydney Week of Golf, as well taking out the Blue Mountains Junior Masters.
Clarke has been in the sport for five years now and continues to improve massively.
Her putting game is a standout asset to her game and was a big factor to her 2022 success, with her overall consistency to ball-striking to area she feels she needs the most work on.
Jake Riley
Jake Riley is another star on the rise out of Newcastle.
Playing out of Toronto Golf Club, Riley came to notice in 2019 when he won the Newcastle District Championship against players of all ages, before retaining this title in 2020 as well.
In 2021 he made the NSW junior team, one of his biggest achievements to date.
Rocking a +3 handicap, Riley gets his work done with an impressive short game, and thinks he now just has to work on his all around consistency.
Jeffrey Guan
One of the brightest talents on the Jack Newton Junior Golf scene.
Guan, 18, had an incredibly successful 2022 season, spending a few months over in the USA competing successfully in junior events and working on his current +5 handicap.
On USA soil he was triumphant in both The Junior Players Championship and the Adam Scott Junior Championship.
Back in Australia, the wins didn’t stop, with Guan taking out the ACT Week of Golf, Australian Boys’ Amateur and Adidas Golf Junior 6s Tour World Final.
He also took third place in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Thailand.
A tremendously talented young man who is scoring very well, and is now just working on his course management which he thinks will take him to the next level of his game.
Riley Millers
Another successful product of the great junior golfing system happening on the Central Coast.
Playing out of Magenta Shores Golf Club, 16 year old Riley Millers had a stellar 2022 and continues to grow in his game.
He has a great system of mentors around him such as Dimi Papadatos, Jordie Garner and Kim Burke.
He took out the Bathurst Junior Masters, and also travelled to Singapore to represent Australia in the victorious teams event.
Millers has a great drive, both off the tee and in general life, demonstrating a great work ethic and often surrounding himself with more experienced players and golf pros in the hopes of improving his game.
Brooke Botting
Brooke Botting is another talented young golfer from Shelly Beach on the Central Coast.
She’s spending the Summer out of competitions, instead working hard solo to improve her game, in which time she has almost halved her handicap to 4.
In 2022 she had success in Jack Newton net competitions in Campbelltown and Wentworth Falls, and was also victorious in a ladies foursome on the Central Coast.
Botting excels with her chipping and putting game, which are often the areas she gains an advantage on her competition, while she is also working hard to improve her consistency and overall ball-striking power.
Ann Jang
Ann Jang of Toukley Golf Club had an excellent year, notably taking out the Greg Norman Junior Masters U15’s.
She also played a massive role in securing victory for her NSW Pennant team, contributing six birdies in a row to secure the win for her side.
Jang of Korea has been performing strongly for a number of years now.
In 2019 she claimed the U12 State Age Championship by a whopping 26 shots, and in 2021 she notably took out the NSW Junior Championship.
A young gun with plenty of potential to grow into a superstar of the game.
Brodie Herring
Coming from Manly Golf Club, 16-year-old Herring came agonisingly close to taking out the Sydney Week of Golf to kick off his 2023, having been in the lead coming into the last 18 holes.
Herring had an exceptional 2022 campaign however, taking out the Jack Newton Fayde Matchplay in October, as well as the Greg Chalmers Junior Masters for the 16 & 17 years.
He also had the opportunity to play a Junior Masters tournament in America last year, which was a great opportunity for the young gun which he hopes to participate in again in 2023.
Herring is also travelling to South Africa to compete internationally again in March.
College in the States is the dream for the young lad from the Northern Beaches, and if he keeps going as he is that dream is achievable.
Desiree Herden
Another Central Coast superstar with aspirations to play college golf overseas.
Herden, 17, was victorious in the Central Coast School Championship, defeating the boys and girls to emerge as the champion.
She was also victorious at the Magenta Shores Golf Club Championship, and is captain of the Shelly Beach junior Pennant team.
Currently playing off a +3 handicap, the Pennant Hills young gun stands at nearly six foot, which has contributed to her great drive and overall ball-striking.
With a bit more work on her short game, which is continually improving, she’ll be a real force to be reckoned with.
Blake Cranston
At just 12 years old, Blake Cranston is another up and comer from Toukley with lots of potential.
In the last 3 years his handicap reduced from 36 to 4.8, and the improvements to his game are clear to see with the accolades he achieved in 2022.
1st in the Wagga Wagga Junior Masters, 1st in the Jack Newton North Coast Junior Masters Kew, 1st in the Jack Newton Macarthur Junior Masters Campbelltown / Camden, plus a handful of other victories and podium finishes in various tournaments, in what was a crazy year for the youngster.
He also received a PSSA Blues award for his outstanding contribution to the sport, as well as being awarded the 2022 Jack Newton 12 Years Junior of the Year.
One to keep an eye on for sure.
Sahara Hillman-Verma
Sahara ‘The Weapon’ Hillman-Varma has had the perfect start to her 2023 campaign, taking out the Sydney Week of Golf.
It was a commanding performance from start to finish by Hillman-Varma, aged 15, taking out victory in the end by 12 strokes, justifying her nickname as ‘The Weapon’.
Currently sporting a GA handicap of +0.8, the young superstar from Concord Golf Club had a stellar 2022, taking out the Greg Chalmers Junior Masters in January.
She also nailed a 122m hole-in-one at the Harvey Norman ACT Week of Golf.
Her achievements were even recognised by the Hunter’s Hill Council, who presented her as the 2022 Sportsperson of the Year.
Jye Halls
Jye Halls, 18, is another top young golfer who has shot up the ranks in the Jack Newton Junior Golf scene over the past few years.
Currently playing off a +3 handicap, Halls plays out of Mollymook Golf Club on the south coast of NSW, as well as NSW Golf Club.
Halls had a terrific opportunity to play over in the States in 2022, in which he managed to land 2nd place in the IMG Academy Junior World Championship, which has attracted him some attention for potential scholarship deals, should he choose that avenue for his future.
Halls is strong off the drive and has a great wedge game, and is actively working to tidy up his putting game.
Toby Farrar
Toby Farrar, 14, plays out of The Australian Golf Club and is another junior with big golfing aspirations.
Farrar currently holds a +3.9 handicap, and is another junior with an action packed January full of competition.
He had a terrific end to the year, taking out the Adidas Junior 6s event in Liverpool.
Strong at ball striking, and now just looking to continually tidy up his short game.
Still very young, but Farrer has big dreams to take his golfing game to the States one day.
Sophie Eppelstun
A Club Catalina junior, Sophie Eppelstun is another exciting young golf prospect.
Eppelstun, 16, is a late bloomer to the competitive golf scene, having only started competing around 2020.
However she’s proved in a short time she has plenty of talent, with second place finishes the Jack Newton Junior Golf south coast Juniors, second place in the Brett Ogle Junior Masters and second place in the Adidas Junior 6s.
With a +2.1 handicap, Eppelstun has shown positive signs with these results but will be desperate to get a win on the board in 2023.
She’s a strong and focused player, and with a bit more consistency in long tournaments she will be a dangerous force.
Matilda Sullings
While technically playing out of the ACT, Matilda Sullings has excelled in competitions all over NSW and is another rising star in the junior golfing scene.
Sullings, 16, is a member of both the Federal Golf Club and Royal Canberra Golf Club.
She started 2022 with a handicap in the +3 to +4 region, setting herself the goal of getting it down to scratch by the end of the year, which she did.
One of the highlights of Sullings’ year is no doubt the come-from-behind victory to secure her maiden JNJG title at the Greg Chalmers Junior Masters at Shelly Beach Golf Club.
She is a fearless player with a ‘go hard or go home’ attitude.
She also has an excellent mentor in golfing pro Matt Miller at her home golf club, to whom she accredits a lot of her development in the sport.
Rachel Lee
A really bright prospect in the junior golf scene is Rachel Lee of Avondale Golf Club.
Lee, 15, had a stellar 2022 campaign, currently holding a +3.9 handicap.
She was the overall women’s winner in the Queensland Amateur Championship, a NSW team winner in the Australian Junior Interstate Teams Matches, a winner in the JNJG Ballina Junior Masters, and the U14 winner in the NSW Junior Championship.
Her exceptional 2022 was capped off with her being awarded the Jack Newton Junior Girl of the Year for 2022, as well as the Golf NSW Junior Jean Derrin Medal, which is awarded to the player with the lowest stroke average in all tournaments across the year.
A very talented individual who will no doubt be needing more room on the trophy cabinet for the 2023 season.
Michelle Di Natale
Michelle Di Natale, 17, is another up and comer from NSW Golf Club.
An impressive +0.5 handicap, she’s a very gifted golfer, but also taking her progression at a slow and mature pace to balance her studies as she enters Year 12 this year.
Di Natale is a former Girls Champion in the Liverpool Cup and was tied 1st in the U16 girls Australian Junior in 2021.
She is expected to ramp up her golfing game after finishing her studies, and perhaps look to play on a European tour.
Any up and coming junior golfers we missed? Send them through to kevin.merrigan@news.com.au
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