Fifteen talented West Australian juniors began the challenging first round of the 2022 Australian Junior Amateur competition today, hosted by The Vines Golf Club of Reynella, South Australia. The best from the west certainly did us proud, braving first time nerves away from home seeking out a win of the most sought after title on the junior circuit. It is a pleasure to watch the sportsmanship, spirit and class in which the West Australian Junior competitors conduct themselves with on a national stage.
Following a recent win in Victoria at the TPS Murray River Junior, Lake Karrinyup local Sheridan Clancy nailed a bogey free front nine, topping it off with birdies on hole eight and nine. Clancy shared,
“The grain around the greens is really challenging to get your head around. Once I managed to do this, I felt more confident at my read. It is a beautiful course and we are really grateful to The Vines for hosting four days of play here.”
Picture: Golf Australia / David Brand
Clancy continued strong into the back nine with a string of pars followed by an eagle on thirteen.
“Thirteen is a dogleg right to left par 5. I hit my driver with a bit of draw, which is my confident shot. I had 165 to the pin and put it to the back in which I hit a 3/4 five iron with a bit of fade then nailed the putt. The day worked out better than I hoped considering I took my jacket off on the first tee and realised my shirt was on inside out!”
WAGC’s Joseph Buttress was focused and determined, having a flawless round until the final hole. Buttress made the turn at 2-under, and picked up two further birdies on holes 13 & 16 sitting top of the leaderboard in the first morning of play. Buttress ran into difficulty losing a ball in dense growth on the right on the final hole, but sits in a strong position at the top end of the leaderboard going into tomorrow’s play.
Picture: Golf Australia / David Brand
“It is pretty narrow off the tee. You need to hit driver well to navigate this course successfully. Tomorrow there is not a great deal I would do differently but having an afternoon tee time will bring some other factors into play. There is some strong competition at this event and I will need to maintain my focus for the next three days.”
Strong performances by Royal Fremantle’s Alex Maxwell, Royal Perth’s Corley McLernon, Joondalup’s Celine Chen and Gosnells Jorja Hinson-Tolchard join Clancy and Buttress at the top end of the leaderboard, placing WA in a strong position going into tomorrow’s second round. The juniors face a cut after day three of the competition, and with some further rain showers ahead this is still anyone’s game.
A Live scoreboard can be viewed HERE
