Coby Carruthers, Sarah Hammett Win NSW Junior!
(6:00pm - Friday 8th July 2022)
Coby Carruthers (Concord) and Sarah Hammett (Emerald Lakes) have won the 2022 NSW Junior Championships to secure their spots in the 2023 NSW Open!
After starting the tournament with a simply outstanding 68 in brutal conditions on Tuesday, Carruthers went wire-to-wire to claim his maiden JNJG Major Title with a one shot victory at Byron Bay Golf Club. Despite never being headed over the final 36 holes, the 17 Year Old was never able to feel comfortable or have even one hand on the trophy, with a number of players snapping at his heels throughout the final round.
In difficult conditions where par was a good score as the greens dried out and firmed up, Carruthers got off to a shaky start with back-to-back bogies on the first two holes. However birdies on six and nine, either side of a bogey on seven, kept the chasing pack at bay as no one was able to really make a final round charge. With a two shot lead and birdies hard to come by, Carruthers was rock solid over the closing stretch, finishing the tournament with seven straight pars including a number of clutch up and downs to finally get both hands on the trophy.
14 Year Old Harrison Gomez (RACV Royal Pines) came closest to chasing down the leader, drawing within one shot with a birdie on the par three 12th. That was as close as he got, as a bogey on the dog-leg 15th extended the margin back to two, a margin that proved too big to overcome.
Jye Halls (NSW GC) fell agonisingly short once again, having lost the tournament in a playoff to Jeffrey Guan in 2021. Halls was a late-entry into the tournament this year, looking for some last minute competitive practice before making the trip to the US for a big Summer of golf, with a spot in the Junior Presidents Cup on the line. His even par 72 on Friday was enough to move into third position, sharing that spot with the impressive Taj Egea (Brookwater).
Whilst Carruthers spent all day in front in the Boys Division, the Girls were trading places and blows throughout the entire front nine.
Overnight leader Grace Lee (Concord) never recovered from a slow start, dropping back to a share of sixth and a final round 80. Elly Petersen (RACV Royal Pines) also ran out of steam on Friday, her tournament ended with a quadruple bogey on the 12th after finding the sand off the tee. Rachel Lee (Avondale) saved her best for last, rocketing up the leaderboard and into the top five with the round of the day, a four under par 70.
Whilst that was as high as Lee could go, the real story was happening at the top, as Kate McFarlane (Bundaberg), Haruhi Nakatani (Surfers Paradise), Jeneath Wong (Metropolitan) and NSW Amateur Champion Hammett were locked in an almighty battle.
Nakatani reached seven under at one stage early in the final round, but just like the boys were finding out, birdies were hard to come by during the final round. McFarlane finished with an even par 74 to finish in fourth position, one shot behind Nakatani and Wong at minus three.
However that didn't end up being enough, as Queenslander Hammett became the first girl since Justine Lee more than 10 years ago to win both the NSW Amateur and NSW Junior Titles in the same year. The 15 Year Old fired a final round one under par 73, with three birdies in the opening 10 Holes proving the difference as she broke away from the rest of the field and held on down the stretch for yet another major NSW crown.
Jack Newton Junior Golf would like to thank Major Sponsor "PING" and Tournament Sponsor "Tour Tee" for their fabulous support of the 2022 NSW Junior Championships. In addition, both host clubs, Byron Bay and Ocean Shores, for their fantastic hospitality throughout the event.
The NSW Junior Championships will return to the Northern Rivers in 2023 with dates and venues to be confirmed shortly.
Final Round Underway at NSW Junior
(10:00am - Friday 8th July 2022)
The final round of the NSW Junior is underway here at Byron Bay Golf Club. The leading Boys and Girls will get underway at midday and you can follow all the final round action and live scores below.
36 Hole Events Decided at NSW Junior
(6:00pm - Thursday 7th July 2022)
Jye Halls (Mollymook) has claimed the Boys Country Junior Championships for a third successive year as the 36 Hole Events played in conjunction with the NSW Junior Championship have been decided at Byron Bay GC and Ocean Shores Country Club on Thursday.
Halls won the Boys event by six shots, whilst it was a three shot victory for Ella Scaysbrook (Newcastle) in the Girls Country Junior Championship. Scaysbrook also led the Newcastle DGA Team to an emphatic 12 Shot Victory in the 2022 Inter-District Teams Championship.
The final 36 Hole event, the NSW Junior Champion of Champions, went to a pair of Concord Juniors with Coby Carruthers and Grace Lee recording four and eight shot victories respectively.
NSW Junior Set for Exciting Finish at Byron Bay
(4:00pm - Thursday 7th July 2022)
The 2022 NSW Junior Championships is set for an exciting finish at Byron Bay Golf Club after a thrilling end to the second round on Thursday afternoon.
Coby Carruthers (Concord) maintained his two shot lead in the Boys Division after a two under par 70 at Ocean Shores, whilst Haruhi Nakatani (Surfers Paradise) and Grace Lee (Concord) stormed to the top of a STACKED girls leaderboard, Lee firing the low round of the tournament with a seven under par 67.
Carruthers was rock solid on Thursday, extending his lead through the opening 10 holes with three birdies whilst staying bogey free. At one stage, the 17 year-old from Sydney led by five, however the birdies dried up as the chasing group got hot and a bogey on the 18th saw that lead cut to two. Taj Egea (Brookwater) was the one who led the charge, his round of 66 highlighted by five birdies in a row from the 14th to head into the final round at four under par.
Ryan Fletcher (Lynwood) and Harrison Gomez (RACV Royal Pines) played their way into the final group with rounds of 68, whilst two of the pre-tournament big guns in Jye Halls (NSW GC) and Harry Takis (Virginia) are lurking just a shot further back at two under par.
With six boys in red figures and just four shots between the that group, the Boys Division is set to go down to the wire. Incredibly, the Girls leaderboard is even more jam-packed!
Nakatani and Lee head into the final round sharing the lead at five under par after a birdie barrage at Byron Bay. The Queensland junior backed up her opening round of 71 with a four under par 70 before she was joined at the top by Sydney-sider Grace Lee who rolled in seven birdies and an eagle in her amazing round of 67.
Queensland guns Sarah Hammett (Emerald Lakes) and Elly Petersen (RACV Royal Pines) are at four under and three under respectively, whilst Victorian visitor Jeneath Wong (Metropolitan) and Kate McFarlane (Bundaberg) are also right in the mix just three shots back at two under par.
The leading boys and girls groups will begin play just after 11:30am on Friday morning, with a spot in the NSW Open on the line!
FINAL ROUND TEE TIMES (presented by Tour Tee)
Byron Bay Tee Times / Format
- 1 Tee Start
- 6:50am > 12:02pm
- Seeded OVERALL
- 131 Players
Ocean Shores Tee Times / Format
- 2 Tee Start
- 8:00am > 9:52am
- Seeded by AGE DIVISION
- 86 Players
The Cut Numbers
- All 58 Girls will play at Byron Bay on Friday.
- 63 Boys made the cut for the NSW Junior, which fell at +12.
- An additional 10 players in the 13 / 14 Years Division missed the overall cut, but finished Top 8 in their age divsion and qualified to play at Byron Bay.
Sun Finally Shines at NSW Junior
(8:00am - Thursday 7th July 2022)
After two days of cold, wet and windy conditions, the sun is out and shining at the 2022 NSW Junior Championships.
Round two will be completed on Thursday morning before the cut is made ahead of the final round on Friday.
The Cut
- All Girls will make the cut and play at Byron Bay on Friday.
- The Top 60 Boys, Plus Ties, Plus anyone within 10 shots of the overall leader will make the cut.
- In addition, a minimum of eight (8) players from each age division, regardless of overall position, will make the cut.
Tournament Reduced to 54 Holes as Rain Stops Play
(12:30pm - Wednesday 6th July 2022)
The 2022 NSW Junior Championships have been reduced to 54 Holes after consistent rain, followed by a heavy downpour, stopped play on day two.
Just 50 mins of play was possible at Ocean Shores, with more than half the field unable to even hit their opening tee shots, with play officially cancelled for the day at 9:50am. All players will return to Ocean Shores on Thursday morning and start round two again, at the original tee times of 8:00am > 10:00am.
Those at Byron Bay were a little bit luckier, with play starting on time at 8:00am and play continuing right through until that heavy downpour arrived at 11:02am. With all players on course and 3 hours of play possible, all players will return to Byron Bay on Thursday morning and resume play from the position they were at when play was suspended. Play will resume at Byron Bay at 9:00am.
Play Underway as the Rain Continues to Fall
(8:00am - Wednesday 6th July 2022)
Play is underway at Byron Bay Golf Club for the second round of the NSW Junior Championships. After a one hour delay at Ocean Shores Country Club, play got underway at 9:00am there also.
Fingers crossed we get the second round completed today!
Carruthers Shines on Cold and Wet Day
(4:00pm - Tuesday 5th July 2022)
Coby Carruthers (Concord) was a shining light on a brutally cold and wet day in the Northern Rivers, signing for a four under par 68 on a day where no other player broke par at Byron Bay Golf Club. Up the road at Ocean Shores, where the weather was equally as bad, 14 Year Olds Toby Farrar (The Australian) and Alfie Ward (Maroochy River) were the standouts, also finishing the day under par.
On a day described by the long-term head pro as "the coldest day I've ever experienced in my 20 years living in Byron Bay", Carruthers got off to a steady start with six straight pars after starting on the 10th. Birdies on the 16th and 17th took the 17 year old to the top of the leaderboard, before two more birdies after the turn on the 2nd and 3rd extended the lead. A bogey and birdie coming in was enough for a four under par 68, five shots better than any other player at Byron Bay on Tuesday.
The 14-15 Years Boys were at Ocean Shores Country Club on day one, with conditions just as poor. It didn't slow Farrar and Ward, the pair combining for six birdies in their rounds of 70 and 71 respectively.
Five players share fourth spot on the leaderboard after recording one over par 73s across both venues, including Ryan Fletcher (Lynwood) who scorched around the back nine in just 32 shots.
Interstate Girls Dominate Round 1
(3:30pm - Tuesday 5th July 2022)
It's a star-studded Girls Leaderboard after the opening round of the NSW Junior Championships at Ocean Shores Country Club. In brutally difficult conditions with wind and rain battering the players, five girls finished the open round in red numbers despite the cold and wet weather.
The best of those were Queensland pair Kate McFarlane (Bundaberg) and Yuuki Takada (Southport) who recording matching two under par 70s on the testing layout. McFarlane picked up three birdies, dropping just the one shot in the testing conditions whilst Takada made four birdies of her own on Tuesday morning.
Jeneath Wong (Metropolitan), Elly Petersen (RACV Royal Pines) and Haruhi Nakatani (Surfers Paradise) also finished the opening round under par, with an incredible 15 players within just three shots of the lead after the opening day.
Play Underway in Soggy Conditions at NSW Junior
(8:00am - Tuesday 5th July 2022)
The opening round of the NSW Junior is underway in soggy conditions at both Byron Bay GC and Ocean Shores CC. Around 10mm fell overnight which left surface water on low lying areas, with the rest of the course presented fantastically well despite all the recent rain.
Follow all the scores from both venues on the link below!
Round 1 "Tour Tee - Tee Times" Out Now!!
(11:00am - Monday 4th July 2022)
The Tour Tee - Tee Times for the opening round of the 2022 NSW Junior Championships are out now!
2022 NSW Junior Championships
(1:00pm - Wednesday 29th June 2022)
For the first time in almost 20 years, the NSW Junior Championships and JNJG State Age Championships will return to the Northern Rivers, with Byron Bay Golf Club and Ocean Shores Country Club set to host some of the hottest golfing talents from around the country. After Covid forced the cancellation of the event in both 2020 and 2021, the Northern Rivers finally gets the chance to showcase it's magnificent golf courses in 2022.
More than 230 players have registered for the prestigious event, with the tournament holding both Golf Australia Order of Merit and World Amateur Golf Ranking status. The four-day 72-Hole Championship is also a qualifier for both the Men's and Women's NSW Open Golf Championship, opening the door for the champion boy and girl to dip their toes into life as a professional golfer.
With two-time defending Boys Champion Jeffrey Guan (The Australian) competing in the USA, a first time boys winner will emerge from the pack looking to take home the trophy in 2022. The defending Girl Champion will be present, with Ann Jang (Toukley) looking to go back-to-back after claiming the rescheduled 2021 NSW Junior Championship title at Lynwood CC last December.
Showing the strength of junior golf across the country right now, an incredible 83 players in the field will enter the tournament on handicaps of scratch or better.
The NSW Junior Championship is not the only trophy on offer this week, with players also contesting the JNJG State Age Championships, NSW Junior Champion of Champions, and NSW Country Junior Championships throughout the week.
Proudly sponsored by PING GOLF, all players are set to receive a PING tournament cap whilst the winners will be treated to some fantastic prizes.
All players will play at least one round at both host venues, with more information on the Tournament Format available here, whilst the full list of registered players can be found here.
Tee Times for the event are proudly sponsored by Tour Tee, with the Tour Tee - Tee Times for Round 1 and Round 2, as well as all Tournament Leaderboards, published on Monday.
For any any questions on the NSW Junior Championships, please contact Tournament Director Dale Hughes on 0401 996 686.
