Maclean Junior Classic - Sunday July 12th, 2015
The day was fine but cold and the number of participants from courses in the surrounding region was good. Players from the host club Maclean, Ballina, Murwillumbah, Coolangatta -Tweed Heads, Byron Bay, Casino, Ocean Shores, Kyogle, Grafton as well as neighbouring clubs at Iluka and Yamba made for an exciting days golf.
As this day was re-scheduled from the original weather affected date in early May, the event conflicted with a number of other activities in the District including the NCAS camp at Bonville. However, with the energetic support of Maclean PGA Professional, Paul King and his wife Wendy the hospitality at Maclean was up to its’ usual high standard.
Jay Mackenzie (Ballina) won the Junior Boys Open Division with a great score of 1 under par, 71. Jay was the leading junior boy participant from the Northern Rivers in the recent NSW Junior State Championships and has carried his form over to the NRDGA OOM events. On a tough day in the cold conditions, the only other player to break 80 was McKenzie Wright (Yamba) who played to his handicap with a good score of 76. The Junior Boys nett competition was won by Reilly Wunderlich (Yamba) with a score of 70. Jack Soley (Murwillumbah) also had a good score of nett 74. Jack’s handicap has dropped by 8 shots since the start of the year. Keep up the good work Jack.
The Junior Boys Order of Merit competition has consolidated into a tight tussle for the season ending prizes. Only 2 points separate the top three players in the Gross event with the current leader being Kyle Underwood (Ballina). Similarly, in the nett event, a new leader Reilly Wunderlich (Yamba) is currently holding off Isaac Outridge (Coolangatta-Tweed Heads) by a slim 1.5 points.
The Junior Girls Open Division was won by Maddy Trew (Murwillumbah) with a great score of 74. Maddy also performed well at the State Championships in the Illawarra and her golf continues to improve. The Junior Girls nett competition was won by Eleka Moore (Ballina). The small number of girls participating in junior golf continues to disappoint but we are constantly looking at ways to attract young girls to the game.
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The Cadet (9 hole) competition continues to attract a good field of “the next good thing” golfers. At Maclean, Connor Whitelock (Byron Bay) had a great score of 46 shots off a handicap of 12. Connor looks like he is almost ready to play with the big boys and we look forward to seeing his golf progress for the remainder of the year. Other good scores were recorded by Jayme Walters (Kyogle) and Charlie Dean (Ocean Shores). The Cadet Boys nett competition was won by Daniel Mackenzie (Ballina) with a fantastic score of nett 27. By all accounts the 4 ball that Danny played in all had great rounds and must have brought out the best in each other. The next best nett scores were recorded by Kane Whitelock (Byron Bay) and Braden Howlett (Kyogle).
In the Cadet Boys Order of Merit competition, Connor Whitelock (Byron Bay) has taken a small lead over Tyrelle Roberts (Casino) in the gross event. The Cadet Boys nett event is now a very close run thing with Daniel Mackenzie (Ballina) leading a group of 6 chasers by 10 points or less.
The Cadet Girls competition was won by the consistent Hollie Fuller (Grafton) with a great score of 50 shots. As you can see from the commentary above, Hollie’s score was only 4 shots higher than the leading boys score, off the same Tee markers!!!! Hollie led home Jenna Carter (Yamba) and Maddison McKee (Grafton).
For more information on Junior Golf in the Northern Rivers District, please contact Gerard Wilkinson on mobile 0419 708 676. The next event is at Grafton on Sunday July 19th. See you there!!
