Kim and Whitelock Crowned Champions of Greg Chalmers Junior Masters
(1:00pm - Sunday 30th July)
Harry Whitelock of Royal Canberra and Camilla Kim of The Australian have managed to hang onto their overnight leads and fend of the competition to become the Champions of the 2023 Greg Chalmers Junior Masters.
This now marks the second year running that Whitelock has won the admired title.
“I’m pretty happy with myself. Brodie brought the heat early, made a couple of birdies so it was nice to come back this afternoon with a couple more birdies,” he said.
Ecstatic with his win, he said coming into the day with a one-shot lead certainly helped keep the nerves at bay.
“It’s always fun to sleep on a lead, you know a little bit of excitement through the family, and it gave me little bit of inner confidence when I came here this morning. My game has been trending in the right direction which is good.”
Finishing the tournament four under par after shooting a round of 67 today, the ACT teen said he was happy with how he played.
“I hit it quite well off the tee and rolled in a couple of nice putts as well under some pressure that Brodie was applying so it was good to see the putting practice has payed off,” he added.
Aside from the win, shooting an eagle was another highlight for the day.
“I hit a really nice six iron up the 15th hole and dad was standing next to the green and said it lipped out for albatross, so nice to capitalize on the six foot putt as well.”
The 16-year-old now eager to defend his title once again in 2024.
“Pretty stoked to go two in a row, I haven’t done that before, so I’ll definitely be back next year to go three in a row hopefully.”
Coming in second place for the boys was Brodie Herring of New South Wales Golf Club with an even score of 142, while Michael Li and Riley Millers, both of Avondale, finished tied third on 147.
In the girl’s division, Kim came into the day with a one-shot lead but managed to stretch that to three, taking home the competition with an even score of 150.
“I was feeling a bit nervous at the start, but it was a really good game with the older girls. I think I learnt a lot from and had a really good day,” she said.
“I just tried to stay calm and hit it straight on the fairway.”
The 12-year-old said she was happy with her game and was glad to be able to take home the win after some shaky final holes.
“It was going alright in the front nine, the back few holes got a bit messed up. But overall, my putting, driving and all my shots were pretty good,” she added.
“I was keeping myself calm and looking for a lot of lies in different directions and I just tried to focus on wedge shots and that really worked out today.”
Coming in second place with a score of plus three was both Sophie Eppulstun of Catalina and Rebecca Yao of Avondale, with Aaniyah Bhola of Concord in third with a score of plus seven.
Li and Whitelock Share Lead while Kim Goes Low
(6:00pm - Saturday 29th July)
Camilla Kim (The Australian) will take a one shot lead in the Girls Championship recording 72 (-3), the Boys Championship is all square with Harry Whitelock (Royal Canberra) and Michael Li (Avondale) shooting even par (71) to share the overnight lead.
Kim (The Australian) impressed in sunny conditions on the Central Coast. After making back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th, Kim fell back to even par after an unfortunate double bogey on the 16th hole. However, she put on a show after making the turn by closing with another four birdies. The Junior from The Australian was able to put a gap on all but Aaniyah Bhola (Concord). Bhola will be confident heading into the final round after a great opening round which featured an eagle on the Par 5 3rd.
Harry Whitelock (Royal Canberra) began the round well as he moved into the lead early. A tough seven hole stretch brought back a handful of players into the mix but the Royal Canberra Junior finished strong with birdies on the 15th and 18th hole. Avondale's Michael Li recorded five birdies in his opening round and finds himself in the final group heading into Sunday. Li will want to back up his impressive start with a chance to claim his first Junior Masters title.
Full Field for Greg Chalmers Junior Masters
(12:00pm - Thursday 27th July )
This weekend, the esteemed Greg Chalmers Junior Masters will see a field of 120 talented juniors compete at the scenic Shelly Beach Golf Club.
Among them will be the reigning champions from the ACT, Matilda Sullings of Federal, and Harry Whitelock of Royal Canberra.
Whitelock aims to build on his previous victory at the Peter O’Malley Junior Masters earlier this year, and his recent fourth-place finish at the NSW Junior Championships.
Meanwhile, Sullings, boasting an impressive handicap of +0.9, is determined to secure another win. She previously claimed the championship at the Wagga Wagga Junior Masters this year.
Will the pair successfully defend their titles, or will new champions arise?
The competition will be fierce, with Central Coast local Riley Millers (Avondale) ready to put on the pressure. Millers, who placed third at the NSW Junior Championship and was part of the winning NSW Junior Interstate team, carries a handicap of +1.6, making him a formidable opponent.
Harry Atkinson from Pymble, the 2021 event winner, is another contender to watch out for. In the boys' division, Atkinson holds the best handicap of +3.2.
Camilla Kim from the Australian enters the mix with an impressive track record of over 20 wins in recent years. Her handicap of +0.5 is second best in the girls' division.
This year, the Central Coast is strongly represented, boasting 17 locals in the line-up hailing from Shelly Beach, Toukley, Wyong, Kooindah Waters, Gosford, and Everglades.
The event is named after PGA Tour winner Greg Chalmers, who expresses his delight at witnessing such a strong field competing.
“It’s been fantastic to see how Shelly Beach and the JNJGF have worked so hard at this event to make it one of the premier junior golf tournaments on the JNJG calendar,” he said.
“It’s a great opportunity for the juniors to play a brilliant golf course and I’m very proud to have a small part in their growth as golfers. Good luck to everyone.”
The action gets underway on Saturday, July 29, with all players teeing off at 12pm.
