Casino Junior Open
A great field assembled for the popular Casino Junior Open Day. Players from Byron Bay, Kyogle, Yamba, Ballina, Casino, Murwillumbah, Lismore, Coolangatta-Tweed Heads, Ocean Shores, Mullumbimby, Coraki, Woolgoolga and Grafton converged on a beautiful, sunny winter’s day. The hospitality at Casino is legendary and all players were offered a bacon and egg roll for breakfast before taking to the practice green.
The Junior Boys event was again a case of local knowledge being a determining factor. Riley Taylor, from the host club, shot a magnificent 2 under par 68 to take out the event. Riley’s play was so dominant that the nearest competitors, Kyle Underwood (Ballina) and Riley King (Murwillumbah) finished a further 9 shots back. The Junior Boys nett division was a more closely fought affair with Jackson Magarry (Lismore) shooting a great score of 66 to beat Geoffrey Spain (Coraki) on a count back. Reilly Wunderlich (Yamba) also bettered his handicap and has subsequently increased his lead in the NRDGA Order of Merit competition.
The Junior Girls event was won by Eleka Moore (Ballina) who had a very tidy round of 77. The Junior Girls nett event was won by a long lost competitor from Murwillumbah, Bianca Higgins with a great score of 69.
The winner of the Cadet Boys gross event was the consistent Connor Whitelock from Byron Bay. Again the margin of victory was significant with runner-up Jayme Walters (Kyogle) finishing 6 shots behind. The Cadet Boys nett division was won by Billy Muldoon (Coolangatta-Tweed Heads) with a very good score of 32. This is the first time we have seen the Muldoon family at an NRDGA event this year and we hope that they are able to join us on a more regular basis from now on.
The Cadet Girls event had a good field of five players and the gross event was won by the consistent Holly Fuller (Grafton) with a great score of 52 shots. Also returning after a long absence was Emily Martin (Murwillumbah) who finished runner-up with a score of 55. The Cadet Girls nett division was won by Madison McKee (Grafton) with a fantastic score of 30.
Twenty tyros participated in the 3 and 5 hole events and Patrick Kee (Mullumbimby) was successful for the first time. The pull buggy Patrick was awarded stood nearly as tall as Patrick himself.
It would be remiss of me not to mention and highlight the substantial commitment that the Casino Golf Club makes to these Junior Days and in particular the generous way that the club rewards ALL players with prizes on the day. The smiles on the young faces as they walk away with their new golf bags and the many other valuable prizes donated on the day always leaves me with a feeling of great joy!!!
The NRDGA Junior Pennant competitions are also held as part of the Casino Junior Open Day each year. Awarded in memory of the past Casino member, Joe O’Brien, the Pennants are presented to the successful NRDGA Clubs based on the Eisenhower Cup Rules system. In order to have a competitive event, the rules for the Division III Pennant were changed to allow the best 2 out of 3 scores to count.
The Division III Junior Pennant is awarded to those players in the Cadets (9 hole) competition with the best gross score. In 2015, the winning club was Byron Bay with a combined score of 108 shots. The winning team was a sibling affair with Connor and Kane Whitelock taking home the Pennant.
The Division II Junior Pennant is awarded to those players in the Junior (18 hole) competition with the best nett score. In 2015, the winning club was the Casino Team with a score of 230. The winning team comprised of Riley Taylor, Rylee Halliday, Dean Bolt and Paddy O’Brien.
The Division I Junior Pennant is awarded to the club whose junior players had the best combined gross score on the day. In 2015, the winning club was the Murwillumbah Team with a score of 227. The winning Team comprised Lucas Higgins, Alex Hunt, Riley King and Nick Sneesby.
A lot of effort goes into organising these events and our thanks go to the members of Casino Golf Club for their efforts. Further information about Junior Golf on the Northern Rivers can be obtained from Gerard Wilkinson Mobile 0419 708 676.
