Murray, Millers Win out West
(7:00pm - Sunday 27th March 2022)
Central West local Ella Murray (Dubbo) has claimed a come from behind victory in the Girls Division of the Peter O'Malley Junior Masters, securing a nail-biting one shot victory at Bathurst Golf Club.
The stacked Sunday leaderboard quickly broke up into a three horse race, with Murray, Rebecca Zhao (The Lakes) and overnight leader Sienna Clarke (St Michaels) separating themselves from the chasing pack. The trio traded birdies on the front nine, but as the rain set in, par proved a good score over the closing stretch.
When Zhao made a crucial birdie on the 15th hole, all three girls were tied for the lead at two over par and a playoff seemed likely. As the rain continued to come down, Clarke dropped a shot on the 16th before Zhao dropped a shot on 18, meaning par was enough for Murray to claim the title.
After finding the left trees off the tee and still not making it back to the fairway with her pitch out, Murray was faced with an awkward pitch out of the rough and over the bunker from 60m. After a superb wedge shot, which did well to stop just 10 feet past the hole, Murray had a must-make putt for the win. With two putts likely and tournament officials scrambling to get ready for three way playoff, Murray rolled in the downhill sliding putt in front of tournament host Peter O'Malley.
Zhao and Clarke did go extra holes, with Zhao making a birdie on the 1st playoff hole to win the Girls 14-15 Years Division. 11 year old Camilla Kim (Lynwood) playing up a division was too good for her rivals winning the 12-13 Years Title by one shot, with Chloe Sun (Killara) winning the Girls 11 Years & Under Division by seven shots.
With the Girls Division going down to the wire in the morning, the Boys Division promised to do exactly the same in the afternoon, with a jam-packed leaderboard as play began on Sunday afternoon.
As many as seven players were within touching distance of the lead at different stages on Sunday afternoon, before Riley Millers (Avondale) prevailed with a grandstand finish to claim his second JNJG Masters Title in two starts.
Local boy Jacob Lamb (Bathurst) and Brij Ingrey (The Australian) started with the overnight lead but couldn't quite reproduce the same on Sunday. Kade Webber (Stonecutters Ridge) was consistent as always to record yet another Top-5 finish, whilst Ryan Cadle (Stonecutters Ridge) and Cameron Jackson (The Lakes) made back nine charges to finish just short.
That left Millers and Shashank Koirala (Bonnie Doon) as the last two to fight it out, both three under par for the day which left Koirala holding a one shot lead with just two holes to play. Millers rallied, picking up a clutch birdie on the 17th to tie the lead, before applying the pressure with two great shots down the 18th to about 20 feet below the hole. With the pressure on, Koirala needed to get up and down to have any chance, but Millers didn't even give the 16 year old a chance by rolling in the birdie putt for a five under par 67 and a two shot victory.
Max Fischer (Bonnie Doon) claimed another age division title, winning the 14-15 Years Division by one stroke from Harry Whitelock (Royal Canberra). There was another playoff required in the Boys 12-13 Years division, with Charlie Peng (Avondale) making a birdie to defeat local hero Cooper Starkey (Bathurst) on the third playoff hole. Harrison Preece (The Vintage) picked up another Under 11 title, edging out Blake Cranston (Toukley) and Jesse Linden (Newcastle) by two shots.
The JNJG Masters circuit will next head South, with the Illawarra Junior Masters and Murray River Junior Masters taking place in the April School Holidays. Entries are currently open for both events!
Champions Set to be Crowned at Bathurst
(7:15am - Sunday 27th March 2022)
The final round of the 2022 Peter O'Malley Junior Masters at Bathurst Golf Club is underway!
Will overnight leaders Brij Ingrey and Jacob Lamb (Boys), and Sienna Clarke (Girls) become first time JNJG Masters Champions or will someone from the chasing pack make a charge?
Lead Girls Group - 8:54am
Lead Boys Group - 1:33pm
Final Round Shoot-Out set up at Bathurst
(6:30pm - Saturday 26th March 2022)
The Peter O'Malley Junior Masters is set to come down to a final round shoot-out, with stacked leaderboards in both Boys and Girls Divisions with just 18 holes to play.
Brij Ingrey (The Australian) and local boy Jacob Lamb (Bathurst) share the lead in the Boys Division, firing matching two under par 69s. Sienna Clarke (St Michael's) holds the lead in the girls, also breaking par on day one with a one under par 71.
Ingrey and Lamb will both be in search of maiden JNJG Masters Titles on Sunday but they'll have to earn it with a host of players lurking within striking distance. Ingrey and Lamb both made five birdes in the opening round, to finish as the only players in the entire field to break 70.
Shashank Koirala (Bonnie Doon) also broke par on the opening day to finish one shot back, whilst Riley Millers, Kade Webber and Cameron Jackson all finished the day at even par. With just four shots separating the first 12 Bpys on the leaderboard, Sunday promises to be a finish for the ages! The leading Boys group will begin play at 1:33pm on Sunday afternoon.
Clarke holds a two shot lead in the Girls Division after being the only girl to break par on the opening day. The Far South Coast teenager reeled off three birdies alongside two bogies to sign for a 71 on Saturday afternoon. Clarke leads Central West local Ella Murray (Dubbo), with Amy Squires a shot further back after opening with a 74.
In total, the leading seven Girls are separated by just six shots, with Rebecca Zhao, Sahara Hillman-Varma, Sophie Epplestun and Grace Lee all within striking distance with 18 holes to play. The leading Girls group will begin play at 8:54am on Sunday morning.
Peter O'Malley Junior Masters Underway
(7:15am - Saturday 26th March 2022)
The opening round of the 2022 Peter O'Malley Junior Masters is underway at Bathurst Golf Club.
Who is going to go low in the first round?
The Draw for round two will be available at approx 6:45pm, following the completion of the opening round.
2022 Peter O'Malley Junior Masters
(9:00am - Friday 25th March 2022)
The 2022 Peter O'Malley Junior Masters will take place this weekend at Bathurst Golf Club, with more than 200 players registering to take part in the biggest regional Junior Masters event on the JNJG Calendar.
The huge field will held up over the Blue Mountains to the Central Tablelands, with the amount of rain predicted to come down onto the Sydney Metropolitan area in the coming days missing Bathurst almost completely.
With defending champions Ella Scaysbrook (The Australian) and Jake Riley (Pymble) missing this weekend due to other golfing commitments, two new names will appear on the Peter O'Malley Junior Masters trophy for the first time.
The tournament is also host to the JNJG Regional Academy Challenge, a final chance for all players and coaches in the respective Regional Academy Games squads to put the finishing touches on their preparations for next months Academy Games.
Play begins at 7:15am on both Saturday and Sunday morning and you'll be able to follow all the action on the JNJG website and Golf Genius App.
Round 1 Draw - Click Here
Leaderboards - Click Here
For all those following using the Golf Genius App, the GGID for the event is 22POJM
