Playoff Drama at Ballina
(Monday 10th April, 2017)
Ballina Golf Club local Kyle Underwood made a birdie on the 5th playoff hole to claim the 2017 Ballina Junior Masters. The 17 year old local shot a second round 68 to get into the playoff with Harrison Crowe (St Michaels), before finally winning his first JNJG Junior Masters some 50 minutes after regulation play ended. Queenslander Caitlyn Campbell-Nyman led from start to finish to record a five shot victory over fellow Queenslander Andrea Szerszen to win the Girls Division.
Underwood started the final round three shots behind joint leaders Brad Doherty (Oatlands), Clayton Small (Maitland) and Kyle Gray (Queensland), but a flurry of late birdies surged him to the top of the leaderboard and into the playoff. After starting on the second hole in the round two shot-gun start, Underwood birdied five of his last 11 holes to finish the round at -4 and match Crowe at -2 for the tournament, before picking up the crucial birdie on the 5th playoff hole to win his first title. Crowe had seemingly wrapped up the title with his round of 70, finishing one shot clear from overnight leaders Doherty and Small before Underwood's late heroics.
The Girls event was dominated by Queenslanders, with the Girls from the North finishing in the first four places. Campbell-Nyman overcame some late drama to cruise to victory, with Szerszen finishing second and defending champion Lion Higo in third. The Queenslanders were also dominant in the age division contests, with the girls winning all three titles and Jaeseung Na winning the Boys 13 Years and Under after an incredible final round 67.
Full Results - Click Here
We hope to see you at the next JNJG Tour event, with entries currently open (and filling fast) for the Illawarra Junior Masters and North Coast Junior Masters.
Tight at the Top as Grace Aces Ballina
(Sunday 9th April, 2017)
It's going to be a nail-biting finish at the 2017 Ballina Junior Masters, with 16 players separated by only five shots after the opening day of play. Three players managed to break par on Sunday, with Clayton Small (Maitland), Brad Doherty (Oatlands) and Kyle Gray (Queensland) taking a share of the lead after one under par 71's.
The Queensland girls look set to dominate for a second year running, with Caitlin Campbell-Nyman taking a two shot lead into the final round over fellow Queenslander Grace Williams. Campbell-Nyman fired a three over par 75, whilst Grace Williams had her first ever hole in one in her opening round of 77.
Round Two begins with a shot-gun start at 7:30, and all players have to register in the clubhouse by 7:15am.
Round Two Draw - Click Here
Round One Results - Click Here
Tournament Preview
For the third straight year, the Ballina Golf Club is set to welcome JNJG to the Northern Rivers for the annual Ballina Junior Masters. More than 80 juniors are travelling from near and far to take part in the event which incorporates the Ballina Junior Open, as well as being a JNJG Bonville Champions Trophy Qualifier (for NSW Juniors) and a Greg Norman Junior Masters Qualifier (for JGQ Members). There are also 5 and 9 hole competitions on Sunday for our future stars of the game, with nearly 60 players taking part in the short course competition.
Defending Girls Champion Lion Higo (Queensland) is competing once again after her come from behind win in 2016. The youngster is aiming to defend her title despite only getting back the day before after competing in the Australian Girls Amateur, where she made the cut. Nearly half of the girls field are made up of Queenslanders, with Gabbi Beohm (NSW GC) looking for another strong performance after recently claiming the Girls 16 Years and Over Title at the Peter O’Malley Junior Masters in Bathurst.
Ballina stars Kyle Underwood and Harvey Remfrey will be hoping local knowledge will give them an edge in the tournament around their home course and will both be hard to beat after impressive performances at the Australia Boys Junior. Another who impressed last week was Harrison Crowe (St Michael’s), who played his way into the marquee groups over the final round and is heading to Ballina looking to claim his maiden JNJG Junior Masters Title. Fellow NSW guns Clayton Small (Maitland) and Brad Doherty (Oatlands) will be flying up to take part, looking for that scratch division victory that will ensure they qualify for the Bonville Champions Trophy.
Play gets underway on Sunday at 8.10am whilst it will be a shotgun start for the final round on Monday morning.
The draw for the opening round can be viewed by clicking here.
