Corey Lamb and Sophie Yip - Champions at Catalina
(Sunday 27th August, 2017)
Corey Lamb (Branxton) and Sophie Yip (Concord) are the 2017 South Coast Junior Masters Champions.
Lamb won his first JNJG title by three strokes over Brad Doherty (Oatlands), whilst 13 year old Yip won the Girls Division by one shot from Steph Kyriacou (St Michael's).
It was a thoroughly deserved victory for Lamb, who led from start to finish on an extremely difficult day for scoring. In freezing conditions and gail-force winds which brought heavy rain, the Hunter River junior flew out of the blocks with three birdies in his first eight holes to open up a commanding lead. Four back nine bogies brought the 15 year old back to the field and eventual runner up Doherty got as close as one shot behind when Lamb made bogey on the 15th and 16th. Doherty couldn't capitalise however, with bogies on the 17th and 18th ending his chances. His runner-up finish did give him the Boys 16 Years and Over title, with Reid Brown (Pymble) a further two shots back.
There was drama in the Boys 13 Years and Under Division, when a 3-way playoff was needed to determine the winner. Jonathan Boediman (Moore Park), Jeffrey Guan (Bexley) and Jye Halls (Mollymook) finished tied on +16 and headed back down the 18th for the second time on Sunday. Local hope Halls was eliminated on the first playoff hole and when Guan clipped the tree and dropped into the water with his approach to the 18th on the second playoff hole, Boediman was crowned the champion. It was well deserved for the 13 Year Old Sydney-sider who fired a fantastic four over par 76 on the opening day, playing in only his third ever JNJG event.
The Girls Division was even closer than the Boys, with Yip winning her second JNJG Masters title of the year by just a single stroke. Starting the day two shots out of the lead, Yip was rock solid through the opening 10 holes with two birdies and two bogies seeing her head into the back nine at even par. That was enough for her to take a commanding lead as many of the other contenders struggled in the difficult conditions and despite three bogies in a row on the back nine, the youngster was able to hang on. Pre-Tournament favourite Kyriacou just couldn't get it going early on Sunday, dropping five shots in the opening eight holes to seemingly fall out of contention. She ground out 10 pars in a row to finish the round, but couldn't find the birdie that would have sent the tournament into overtime. Cassidy Graham (Links Shell Cove) recorded her best ever finish in a JNJG event, with rounds of 77-75 good enough for third place.
The Boys and Girls Stableford was taken out by Matthew Xu (Bardwell Valley), with the youngster "only" having 39 points on day two, backing up from his JNJG record 58 points on Saturday. Thomas Sokolow (Manly) finished in second with two fantastic rounds of 42 and 43 points, whilst Noah Graham (Camden) finished in third on 79 points over the two days.
Final Round Leaderboards - Click Here
Final Round Live Scores
(Sunday 27th August, 2017)
Corey Lamb (Branxton) and Casey Cook (Tura Beach) have taken one shot leads into the final round of the South Coast Junior Masters at the Catalina Country Club.
Can they hang on throughout the final round?
Round 2 Live Scores - Click Here
7 Year Old Stableford Star
(Saturday 26th August, 2017)
7 Year Old Matthew Xu has recorded a JNJG record 58 stableford points in the opening round of the South Coast JM at the Catalina Country Club. Playing on a shortened course in the stableford division, Xu was on fire, with the 36 handicapper shooting an incredible 86 off the stick!
A short but straight hitter, Xu took advantage of the shortened modified course and was able to reach many of the holes in one shot less than normal, finishing the round with 5 x 4 pointers, 12 x 3 pointers, and a "disappointing" 6/2 on the 9th! The stableford division loved the short course, with 11 of the 18 players beating their handicap.
Local South Coast girl Casey Cook (Tura Beach) will take a one shot lead into the final round of the Girls Division after an even par 72. Cook leads Stephanie Kyriacou (St Michael's) by one, with a further shot separating Concord pair Sophie Yip and Claire Shin. Josie Currie (Wagga Wagga) and Shreeya Singh (Manly) were the only two girls to beat their handicap, finishing with Nett 71s on the opening day.
In the Boys Division, Corey Lamb (Branxton) will take a one shot lead into the final round as he searches for his maiden JNJG title. Lamb had two birdies alongside three bogies on Saturday to lead from Nelson Bay's Harry Cleare. Cleare got off to a shaky start, with bogies on the 2nd and the 4th, before finishing with 14 straight pars to sign for a 74. They'll be joined in the final group by Brad Doherty (Oatlands) and Cooper Maddinson (Shoalhaven Heads) who fired matching 75s on day one. Lurking a shot further back is 17 year Reid Brown, who looks to win before his 18th birthday next week.
Round One Leaderboards - Click Here
Round Two Draw - Click Here
Capacity Field at Catalina for South Coast JM
(Thursday 24th August, 2017)
A huge field of more than 125 players will make the trip south this weekend for the 7th running of the South Coast Junior Masters at Catalina Country Club. One of the strongest Junior Masters fields of the year will take part in the 7th JNJG Junior Masters event of the year, with players scrambling for points to help them in the JNJG Master of the Masters and Masters Points Race as the season comes to a close.
With defending champions Hannah Park (NSW GC) and Jordie Garner (Castle Hill) having left the junior ranks after winning last year, the door has been left open for two new names to go on the South Coast JM trohpy and there's plenty of players in contention to do just that.
One of the hottest prospects in Australian Golf right now will be teeing it up at Catalina, with Stephanie Kyriacou (St Michael's) looking to claim her first JNJG Junior Masters title of the year. The NSW Junior State team member was selected in the Australian team to compete in the World Junior Girls Championship in Canada. It will be the second overseas trip in a matter of months for the 16 year old, who recently played in the US Junior after winning a qualifier in Hawaii. Also looking for the win at Catalina will be South Coast locals Kelsey Bennett (Mollymook / St Michaels) and Casey Cook (Tura Beach), who have performed well in the past in their local event. From the younger brigade, good friends, rivals, and Concord members Sophie Yip and Claire Shin will once again battle it out, whilst also putting pressure on the older girls who are looking for a win.
The boys event will also be keenly contested, with Reid Brown (Wingham / Pymble) looking to take a victory as he says farewell to junior golf in his final event. The 17 year old, who turns 18 next week, will be looking to add the title to the Harvey Norman Week of Golf event he captured earlier in the year. Brad Doherty (Oatlands) will be in the finish once again as he searches for his first victory of the year, with Luka Brucic (St Michael's) and Luke Taylor (Gerringong) also sure to contend at a place they love playing.
Play begins at 10:30am on Saturday, and the draw for the opening round can be found by clicking here.
There will be live scoring all weekend from the Catalina Country Club, and you can follow all the leaderboards by clicking here.
