Smith, Squires Prove too Strong at Forster-Tuncurry
(2:00pm - Sunday 22nd September 2024)
Jamie Smith (Cromer) and Amy Squires (Concord) have run away with the 2024 North Coast Junior Masters at Forster-Tuncurry Golf Club, securing their position at the 2024 Bonville Champions Trophy in the process.
After the tournament was initially postponed at Kew CC back in May due to wet weather, Forster-Tuncurry Golf Club came to the rescue to find a suitable day to reschedule the event with almost 100 players heading North to take part. After the North Coast Junior Masters and JNJG Under 12 Tour Field competed at Forster GC on Saturday, the North Coast JM players headed to the difficult Tuncurry Golf Club on Sunday with Smith and Squires holding the lead.
The Boys Division turned into one horse race, as Smith turned a four-shot lead into an eight-shot victory on a sunny Sunday on the Lower North Coast. Smith backed up his three under par 63 on the short and tight Forster layout with an even par 72 at Tuncurry. At one point, the lead was double figures, as three birdies in four holes got the 17 year old to six under par for the tournament, but the Northern Beaches boy can be forgiven for a late slip up with the job already done.
Zak Marsh (Liverpool) finished second in his best JNJG performance to date, with young gun Blake Cranston (Toukley) finishing in a share of third with two-time champion, Toby Farrar (The Australian).
After starting the second round shot-gun from the 10th tee and in a share of the lead with Northern Rivers JM Champion Annalese McKee (Grafton), Squires took the outright lead on the 12th (her third) and never looked back. The 17-year-olds length off the tee was a huge advantage, making birdie on three of the five par-fives on her way to the only under par round of the tournament, boy or girl, on the difficult Tuncurry lay out.
Mckee impressed again in just her third start on the JNJG Tour this year, finishing in second place, two shots clear of Savannah Webb (Stonecutters Ridge).
North Coast Junior Masters - Postponed
(1:00pm - Thursday 2nd May 2024)
The 2024 North Coast Junior Masters and JNJG Under 12 Tour Event scheduled for Kew County Club has been POSTPONED due to heavy rain.
In the last 48-72 hours, more than 75mm of rain has fallen on the Kew Country Club course, causing the closure of the course yesterday afternoon. A course inspection took place this morning, with many holes still underwater.
The rainfall this week is on the back of the course receiving more than 300mm of rain in April, with the course only recently recovering from that deluge.
The forecast for the next few days is not good either, with as much as 115mm of rain expected on the Mid-North Coast between now and Monday, significantly more rain than has already fallen this week.
As a result, JNJG and the club were left with no option but to cancel the event this weekend, making the decision today to give people as much time as possible to change travel plans and accommodation bookings.
The event will be cancelled within Golf Genius and all players will immediately be issued full refunds.
Jack Newton Junior Golf and Kew Country Club are currently working through calendars to try and re-schedule the event, potentially in the month of September, and everyone will be notified as soon as a date has been confirmed.
