Jeffrey Guan and Sarah Hammett Win in the A.C.T
(3:00pm - Friday 7th January 2022)
Jeffrey Guan (The Australian) and Sarah Hammett (Emerald Lakes) have won the first JNJG Major of 2022, the Harvey Norman A.C.T Week of Golf at Gold Creek Country Club.
The current NSW Junior Champion and Australian Junior Champion is now the A.C.T Week of Golf Champion, with Jeffrey Guan proving far too good for his rivals in a brilliant performance in the Nation's Capital.
Leading from wire to wire, the 17 Year Old produced another bogey free round on Friday, his final round 67 going with earlier rounds of 66, 71 and 68 to win by a tournament record 17 shots. Guan finished the event at 16 under par, making just three bogies over the entire 72 holes.
Coby Carruthers (Concord) recovered from a slow start on Tuesday and Wednesday to fire back-to-back 69s to close the week and finish in solo second at one over par, two shots clear of birthday boy Able Eduard (Kew). Eduard, playing his final junior tournament after turning 18 during the tournament, signed off from his junior career with a one under par 71 to finish outright third.
Queensland duo Kai Komulainen (Emerald Lakes) and Dujuan Snyman (Links Hope Island) rounded out the top five, with Snyman claiming the 14 & 15 Years Division by a whopping six shots. Ian Kim also tasted Age Division victory, winning the Boys 13 Years & Under Division and finishing 33rd overall.
Whilst Guan was cruising to victory in the Boys Division, the Girls Division went right down to the wire with Queensland young-gun Sarah Hammett claiming her first Major JNJG title.
Locked in a three way battle with overnight leaders Ella Scaysbrook (The Australian) and Rachel Lee (Avondale), Hammett stayed in contention throughout the front-nine as the rain made scoring difficult, with only a shot separating the players as they approached the turn. The tournament changed complexion around the turn however, and it was the Queenslander who took control.
A birdie-birdie-birdie stretch from the 9th turned a one-shot deficit into a three shot lead and all of a sudden she was the player to catch. Try as they might, Lee and Scaysbrook couldn't bridge that gap, and six pars in a row to finish was enough for Hammett to claim the biggest win of her junior career. It was another runner up finish for Lee who also finished second at the NSW Junior Championships last month, with Scaysbrook finishing in 3rd position making it a trifecta for the 14 & 15 Year Girls.
There was more success for the Queenslanders with Kate McFarlane (Bundaberg) claiming the Girls 16 & 17 Years Division by two shots from Charlotte Perkins (The Australian), whilst Millie Komulainen (Emerald Lakes) beat fellow Queenslander Godvia Kim (RACV Royal Pines) in a playoff to win the Girls 13 Years & Under Division.
The shot of the day, and tournament belonged to Sahara Hillman-Varma, rounding out her first JNJG Major Top 10 Finish with a Hole-In-One on the 12th. Hillman-Varma also won the Nett Division, the only girl in the field to finish under her handicap for the four days.
The Harvey Norman Week of Golf moves to Sydney next week, with the Sydney version getting underway at Cabramatta on Monday.
No Delay - Round 4 to Proceed as Planned
(6:15am - Friday 7th January 2022)
30mm of overnight rain at Gold Creek has caused a couple of changes to the conditions of play, however play will begin as planned at 6:45am this morning. If all players fail to finish the fourth round, the result at 54 Holes will stand.
Guan in Control as Girls go Down to the Wire
(3:30pm - Thursday 6th January 2022)
Jeffrey Guan (The Australian) has one hand on the A.C.T Week of Golf Trophy after 54 holes at Gold Creek, whilst the Girls Division promises to go down to the wire with three players separated by just one shot.
17 Year Old Guan once again showed he's on another level, blowing away one of the strongest fields in JNJG tournament history. With no other player under par through 54 holes, Guan fired his third straight red number, this time a four under par 68, to open up a 13 shot lead over his closest challengers with 18 holes to play.
Dujuan Snyman (Links Hope Island) and Kade Webber (Stonecutters Ridge) head the chasing pack at two over par, two shots clear of a group of players at plus four. They include Kai Komulainen (Emerald Lakes) and Coby Carruthers (Concord), the pair rocketing up the leaderboard with rounds of 68 and 69 on moving day.
Whilst Guan is running away with the Boys Division, the Girls Division is all set-up for a cracking finish with three players separated by just one shot after an exciting third round. Rachel Lee (Avondale) and Ella Scaysbrook (The Australian) share the 54 hole lead at three over par, one shot clear of Queensland young gun Sarah Hammett (Emerald Lakes) at plus four.
Lee moved into a share of the lead with the low round of the day in the Girls Division, her even par 72 including three birdies and an eagle in the hot and steamy conditions. Scaysbrook and Hammett fired matching 75s to stay right in contention, with an amazing finish coming up should the weather Gods be kind.
Severe storms have circled Canberra as the day moved on, with the forecast for Friday not very promising. Play will begin at 6:45am should the weather allow on Friday morning.
Round Three Begins as the Clouds Roll in
(7:00am - Thursday 6th January 2022)
The third round of the 2022 Harvey Norman A.C.T Week of Golf is underway with rain and storms threatening to roll through Canberra later today.
Will Jeffrey Guan and Ella Scaysbrook maintain their lead on moving day?
Live Scores - CLICK HERE
Scaysbrook, Guan Lead the Way at Gold Creek
(2:00pm - Wednesday 5th January 2022)
The Australian GC duo of Ella Scaysbrook and Jeffrey Guan have taken the 36 Hole Lead at the 2022 Harvey Norman A.C.T Week of Golf.
On a difficult day for scoring as the wind picked up around the testing Gold Creek layout, Scaysbrook edged in front in the Girls Division, firing a one over par 73 to leave her at even par for the tournament. The 15 year old Newcastle local rolled in three birdies on Wednesday morning, and takes a one shot lead into the third round over Queensland youngster Sarah Hammett (Emerald Lakes). Hammett also fired a 73 on Wednesday, her round highlighted by an eagle three on the par five 16th hole.
NSW State Girls team members Rachel Lee (Avondale) and Charlotte Perkins (The Australian) round out the top four in the Girls Division after rounds of 73 and 77 respectively, with the leading Girls group set to begin round three at 10:02am on Thursday morning.
Jeffrey Guan extended his lead at the top of the Boys Division, backing up his opening round 66 with a 71 on Wednesday. Guan recorded three birdies and two bogies on day two, on a difficult day where par was a good score. The 17 Year Old leads playing partner Kade Webber (Stonecutters Ridge) by seven shots, with no other player besides Guan under par.
Webber was seemingly out of contention midway through the back nine, before a birdie-birdie-eagle stretch from the 14th hole moved him back into outright second place and a second straight even par 72. Victorian Able Eduard (Kew) made an early charge on day two, picking up five birdies in a seven hole stretch on the front nine to cut Guan's lead to two. But the 17 Year Old couldn't maintain the momentum, finishing the day with an even par 72 to sit one shot further back.
Jack Roche (Manly) was the big mover on day two, reeling off three birdies alongside just one dropped shot to sign for a two under par 70, the low round of the day. Roche rocketed up the leaderboard into a four-way tie for fourth alongside Max Fedmowski (Sandhurst), Dujuan Snyman (Links Hope Island) and Dean Richards (Manly).
Round 2 Leaderboard - Click Here
Round 3 Draw - Click Here
Round Two Underway at Gold Creek
(7:00am - Wednesday 5th January 2022)
The second round of the 2022 Harvey Norman Week of Golf is underway at Gold Creek!
Jeffrey Guan (The Australian) holds a commanding lead in the Boys Division, whilst four players are separated by just one shot in the Girls Division.
Live Scores - CLICK HERE
Guan Sizzles at Gold Creek
(1:30pm - Tuesday 4th January 2022)
It may be the start of a new year, but it was "same-old same-old" at Gold Creek Country Club for Jeffrey Guan (The Australian). On a course where the 17 year old won the Australian Junior Championship just last year, Guan picked up where he left off on Tuesday morning, cruising around the difficult course with a bogey free fix under par 66.
With the new TaylorMade Stealth driver in the bag, Guan was full of confidence with some extra length off the tee, making four birdies on the front nine to take control of the tournament. Two further birdies on the back nine, which could have been two more if not for some hard lip-outs over the closing stretch, saw the recently crowned Australian Golf Digest Junior of the Year open up a five shot lead.
Riley Millers (Avondale) and Queensland visitor Dujuan Snyman (Links Hope Island) were the only other Boys in red figures on the opening day, sharing second after firing matching one under par 71s. Snyman in particular showed plenty of firepower on day one, reeling off four birdies and an eagle on the 9th during his adventurous round.
The quality of golf on show in the Girls division was equally impressive, with four players managing to shoot opening rounds of level par or better.
Grace Lee (Concord) and Ella Scaysbrook (The Australian) share the lead after matching each other with rounds of one under par. Both girls were under par for the majority of the day, with Scaysbrook briefly getting to three under and Lee two under, before late bogies on the difficult finishing stretch saw them sign for opening 71s.
Queensland visitor and regular JNJG competitor Sarah Hammett (Emerald Lakes) and Charlotte Perkins (The Australian) sit one shot back after the first round, with both girls throwing in an untimely double-bogey at opposite ends of the round. Perkins took six at the second hole before hanging tough throughout the rest of the day to finish at level par, with Hammett sharing the lead until making a double bogey on the 18th.
Players swap sides of the draw in round two, with the Girls Division getting underway first at 6:45am.
Round 1 Leaderboard - Click Here
Round 2 Draw - Click Here
2022 Kicks off at Gold Creek
(6:45am - Tuesday 4th January 2022)
The opening round of the 2022 Harvey Norman Week of Golf is underway at Gold Creek Country Club. Can Jeffrey Guan (The Australian) and Ann Jang (Toukley) claim back to back JNJG major titles?
Live Scores - CLICK HERE
Round 2 Draw - CLICK HERE
Record Strong Field Heads to Canberra
(8:00am - Monday 3rd January 2022)
The first event of the calendar year, the 2022 Harvey Norman A.C.T Week of golf is set to begin at Gold Creek Country Club.
The World Amateur Golf Ranking and Golf Australia Junior Order of Merit event has attracted an incredibly strong field, with almost 150 players registering to take part in the limited-field 92 player event. The pre-event handicap ballot saw any boy on a handicap of more than 2.2 miss out, with the cut-off for the girls only slightly higher at 6.1.
The low handicap ballot means it's the strongest field in history at a JNJG major event, with naming rights sponsor Harvey Norman joined by Taylor Made as the Major Tournament equipment sponsor of both Week of Golf events.
Headlining the field are recent NSW Junior Champions Jeffrey Guan (The Australian) and Ann Jang (Toukley), with the pair looking to make it a JNJG Major running double after claiming victory at Lynwood just last month. They'll be up against the best golfers from around the NSW and A.C.T, with more than 10 interstate visitors also making the trip to Canberra despite Covid restrictions still facing many parts of Australia.
Play begins on Tuesday morning at 6:45am, and you'll be able to follow all the scores live below!
Round 1 Draw - Click Here
Live Leaderboard - Click Here
