Hannah Park and Corey Rae go Back to Back!!
(Sunday 15th May, 2016)
Hannah Park (NSW GC) and Corey Rae (Cromer GC) have won the North Coast Junior Masters for the second straight year in dramatic fashion at Kew Country Club.
Rae shot a second round of 68, matching Coffs Harbour local Jack Pountney (Moore Park GC) with a two under par total and the pair headed for a playoff. On the first playoff hole, facing a downhill breaking 25 foot putt for birdie, Rae rolled the ball straight into the hole for the win. It was Rae's 6th birdie of the day, having made five during his two under par round, with the only real disaster coming at the long par three 15th when he took a double bogey. Pountney, runner up for the second straight year, had his trouble early in the round with a double bogey six at the second getting his day off to a slow start before bouncing back with five birdies of his own, including a clutch birdie on the final hole to post the clubhouse lead at two under par.
The seventeen year olds finished two strokes ahead of Brad Doherty (Oatlands) and Jay Mackenzie (Ballina) who shared third at even par, with Pennant Hills pair Jordan Garner and Luke Ferrier in a tie for 5th at +1. Jye Pickin (Avondale) picked up his first victory of the year in the 14/15 Years Division whilst Harvey Remfrey (Ballina) cruised to a nine shot victory in the Boys 13 Years and Under Division.
Whilst Park didn't need a playoff victory to claim the Girls Title, her victory was just as thrilling. Starting on the 10th and trailing overnight leader Grace Kim (Avondale) by two strokes with only four holes to play, Park was steady on the way in making three straight pars on a tough stretch of the golf course which was enough to take a share of the lead with one hole to play. Park was clutch when it mattered, making the downhill breaking 25 foot putt for birdie to defeat Kim by just the one shot. Park finished with a two under par total whilst 13 Year Old June Song (Avondale) continued her love affair with the Kew Country Club layout finishing two shots off the lead in outright third at even par. The Girls 16 Years and Over Division was taken out by another Avondale member in Bella Kil, who won her division by six strokes.
The feel good story of the event belonged to two of the local girls, with Kew Country Club members Quedesha Golledge and Bronte Newman claiming the Stableford Division and Girls Nett Division respectively.
Final Results - Click Here
Joy for Jubelin on the Opening Day
(Saturday 14th May, 2016)
Lower North Coast Local Jackson Jubelin (Port Macquarie) leads after the opening round of the North Coast Junior Masters at Kew Country Club after a one under par 69 in perfect conditions on the tight and testing layout. It is a tightly packed leaderboard with the top 10 players seperated by only two strokes, whilst there are 24 players (more than 1/3 of the Boys Division) still within reaching distance only six strokes off the lead.
Local boy Jubelin, who nearly missed his opening round tee time after "car trouble", played steady golf throughout, only dropping one shot on the par 4 14th. He added two birdies, signing for a 69 and the first round lead. It's a star studded leaderboard chasing him, with Jye Pickin (Avondale), Jordan Garner (Pennant Hills), Luke Ferrier (Pennant Hills), Jack Pountney (Moore Park) and defending champion Corey Rae (Cromer) all in a tie for second, one shot back. Local boy Ben Morgan (Kew CC) starts the final round two shots back, after a 71 on the first day which included two birdies on the 9th and 11th.
In the Girls Division, Grace Kim (Avondale) matched the boys score of one under par to take the outright lead, with NSW State Team Member Hannah Park (NSW GC) breathing down her neck after opening with an Even Par 71. Sharing second with Park is 13 Year Old June Song (Avondale), who had two birdies and two bogies in her opening round.
The best Nett Score of the day belonged to 13 Year Old Ballina junior Harvey Remfrey, who shot a one over par 71 off his handicap of 4. His Nett 67 was matched by Eden Middleton (Wyong) who finished with a 75 off the stick. The Girls Nett Event was dominated by the Kew locals, with Bronte Newman finishing with a Nett 66 and Quedesha Golledge leading the Stableford Division with 39 Points.
Round Two gets underway at 7:15 with a shot gun start, with all players required to register prior to 7am.
Park and Rae Set to Defend North Coast Title
(Thursday 12th May, 2016)
Hannah Park (NSW GC) and Corey Rae (Cromer GC) are back at Kew CC this weekend, trying to defend their North Coast Junior Masters titles. The pair won the inaugural North Coast Junior Masters tournament in 2015, with Park winning the Girls Division by four strokes, whilst Rae hung on to win the Boys Division by two strokes. In 2016, more than 90 players will head to the difficult Lower North Coast venue, with a very strong lineup of players looking to challenge the defending champions.
In the Boys Division, Jay Mackenzie (Ballina), Jordan Garner (Pennant Hills) and Josh Gadd (Concord) come into the event high on confidence after being part of the winning NSW Junior Boys State Team, whilst Jye Pickin (Avondale) and Brad Doherty (Oatlands) also had strong performances at the Australian Junior Titles and come into the event in good form. Jack Pountney (Moore Park) and Bryce Pickin (Avondale) recently ran 1st - 2nd at the World Association of Left Handed Golfers, whilst Kyle Underwood (Ballina) last week beat a strong field at the NSW All Schools Championships at Taree. Wollongong pair Tom Heaton and Jackson Hall also had success at the Schools Event, being selected in the JNJG and NSW Under 15 School Golf Team to compete at the Australian Championships. Throw in local hopes Reid Brown (Wingham), Ben Morgan (Kew), Port Macquarie pair Jackson Jubelin and Oli Payne, as well as a host of other plus figure golfers and it promises to be one of the most competitive Junior Masters events in recent history!!
In the Girls Division, big improvers Grace Kim (Avondale) and Steph Kyriacou (St Michael's) look like once again challenging for the title, whilst Chloe Thornton (NSW GC) and Bella Kil (Avondale) are always competitive at these Junior Masters events. One player to watch might also be 13 year old June Song (Avondale), who at only 12 years of age led this event last year after the opening round before finishing 2nd overall.
Play gets underway on Saturday at 11:50am for all players, whilst it's an early 7:15am start on Sunday morning for round two. Live scoring will be taking place at the event like normal, with regular updates taking place all day.
Round One Draw - Click Here
Tournament Results - Click Here
