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2019 Junior Challenge

A great day out for our Juniors

51 golfers teed it up in the 2019 Junior Challenge played on Tuesday 9th July at the Neangar Park Golf Club.

Held for the first time, the Junior Challenge is a joint initiative of Ballarat District Golf and Golf Central Victoria, and was open to junior members of affiliated clubs within the two associations and/or participants of junior development initiatives delivered within the catchment of either association.

The growth and enthusiasm for junior golf across our district was on display, with 45 players making the trip to Bendigo, many on board a fleet of three mini buses.

In the Under 18 Boys Stableford event, tournament organisers took the opportunity to group some of the less experienced players with members of the Ballarat District – Boys Representative Team. Feedback from the younger players and their parents was that they received a lot of encouragement and support from our leading junior players, learnt a lot and most importantly had a good time.

Mo Haintz (Mount Xavier GC) continued his recent domination of Stableford events to claim the Under 18 Boys trophy with 39 points, having won the Midlands Golf Club – Autumn Junior Series earlier in the year. Charlie Bissinella (Ballarat GC) was runner up with 38 points and Manish Puvanendran (Maryborough GC) finished in third place with 37 points.

In the Under 18 Girls Stableford event, we saw some excellent golf played. Members of our Girls Development Squad, including Aaliya Puvanendran (Maryborough GC), Alicia Todd (Buninyong GC), Amelia Strait (Midlands GC), Millie Cassidy (Maryborough GC), Rose Britt (Midlands GC) and Taruni Prasad (Bacchus Marsh West GC) again showcased their collective talents. Our girls were joined by Jasmine Roberts (Heritage GC) who plays off a handicap of 2 and is a regular visitor to Ballarat for our local tournaments.

Millie Cassidy claimed the Under 18 Girls trophy, finishing with 35 points. Alicia Todd overcame a slow start, storming home to finish runner up with 32 points.

The Under 14 9-Hole events were hotly contested, with Cooper Muir (Neangar Park GC) winning the Under 14 Boys trophy, with Ted Murphy (Mount Xavier GC) runner up and Lachlan Simper (Mount Xavier GC) in third place. Ruby Merrett (Midlands GC) claimed Under 14 Girls trophy, with Madison Todd (Buninyong GC) runner up.

Congratulations to all our trophy winners.

Boys:
  • Under 18 Winner: Mo Haintz (Mount Xavier GC)
  • Under 18 Runner Up: Charlie Bissinella (Ballarat GC)
  • Under 18 Third Place: Manish Puvanendran (Maryborough GC)
  • Under 14 9-Hole Winner: Cooper Muir (Neangar Park GC)
  • Under 14 9-Hole Runner Up: Ted Murphy (Mount Xavier GC)
  • Under 14 9-Hole Third Place: Lachlan Simper (Mount Xavier GC)
Girls:
  • Under 18 Winner: Millie Cassidy (Maryborough GC)
  • Under 18 Runner Up: Alicia Todd (Buninyong GC)
  • Under 14 9-Hole Winner: Ruby Merrett (Midlands GC)
  • Under 14 9-Hole Runner Up: Madison Todd (Buninyong GC)
Nearest the pins:
  • 3rd hole: Rose Britt (Midlands GC)
  • 7th hole: Benjamin Crellin (Ballarat GC)
  • 10th hole: Eli Smart (Mount Xavier GC)
  • 12th hole: Paddy Murphy (Ballarat GC)
  • 16th hole: Jasmine Roberts (Heritage GC)
Many thanks to:
  • Neangar Park Golf Club, along with Dean Dixon in the pro shop for hosting the tournament
  • Andrew Cartledge (PGA Teaching Professional – Ballarat Junior Golf Academy), Mick Innes and Ron Adams (Secretary – Ballarat District Golf) for coordinating the tournament, along with transporting and supervising many of our players
  • Daniel Nancarrow (President – Golf Central Victoria) for assisting with the presentations
  • The Committee of Ballarat District Golf for their ongoing support of junior golf

Andrew Milligan
Junior Coordinator