For the second time in as many years, GolfWA has named joint recipients of the Junior Golfer of the Year award. Hayden Hopewell (Royal Fremantle GC) was named the Boys Junior Golfer of the Year for the second year running, an honour that he shares this year with Connor McKinney (Joondalup CC).
The girls’ award went to Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (Gosnells GC) who capped of a stellar junior career by taking out her second consecutive Player of the Year honour.
Hayden Hopewell won the Paxton Stroke Averages Medal for 2019, as well as recording multiple Top 5 finishes in National rankings events.
The pinnacle of Hopewell’s season was a runner-up finish at the Nexus Risk WA Open, an event where he won the Terry Gale Cup as low amateur. Hopewell won Ewan Porter’s Junior 6’s Invitational, earning him a start in the Gippsland Sixes event, a tournament where he recorded another strong finish alongside Australia’s leading professionals.
Hayden’s 2019 season also saw him don the green and gold as part of the Australian team at the Toyota World Junior Cup.
Connor McKinney’s stellar 2019 season had a distinctly international feel.
The Scottish national qualified for the Matchplay at the US Boys’ Amateur, British Amateur and British Boys Amateur, where he also won Medallist honours.
Closer to home, McKinney won multiple local events, including the Drummond Golf WA Junior Amateur by 7 shots.
Connor was also selected to play for Scotland, Great Britain & Ireland as both a Junior and Men’s representative.
Maddison Hinson-Tolchard backed up her stellar 2018 season with selection as an Australian Representative for the 2019 Asia Pacific Women’s Amateur and Toyota World Junior Cup.
Hinson-Tolchard qualified for the US Junior Girls where she finished as Runner up medallist.
On the local scene, she had many strong tournament results, including wins at the Nedlands Junior Masters and WA Junior Championships at Mandurah last month.
Maddison has recently signed with Oklahoma State to play college golf in the USA from August next year. This is a fantastic achievement and will be a great steppingstone in her golfing career.
Alexander Woods (The Vines Golf & Country Club) won the Boys Most Improved Junior Player in a year that has seen his handicap drop from 36 to 10.
Woods has won multiple nett trophies this year, a remarkable achievement for someone who has only been playing golf for 18-months.
Royal Fremantle member Celine Chen won the Girls Most Improved Junior Golfer award.
Celine’s handicap has dropped from 7.4 to 2.3 and she made history this year as the youngest person to win Royal Fremantle’s Ladies Club Championship.
Celine represented the Australian Capital Territory at the National School Sport Championship and she continues to be a positive role model to other juniors at the club.
The Junior Presentation Day signals the end to the 2019 junior golf season in Western Australia. Special mention needs to go to the Gosnells girls’ team for getting into the ‘battle of the bands’ spirit and winning the award for best-dressed team.
Thanks must go to the staff and management at Royal Perth Golf Club for giving us access to their course and for their hospitality after the round.
- Junior Golfer of the Year: Girls – Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (Gosnells GC); Boys – Hayden Hopewell (Royal Fremantle GC) & Connor McKinney (Joondalup CC)
- Most Improved Junior Golfer: Girls – Celine Chen (Royal Fremantle GC); Boys – Alexander Woods (The Vines Golf & CC)
Smarter than Smoking Junior Stroke Averages: 11 & Under Boys Winner: Josiah Edwards Gosnells Golf Club (79.88), 12- 13 Boys Winner: Joe Buttress Mount Lawley Golf Club (74.70), 14- 15 Boys Winner: Tom Addy Joondalup Country Club (72.07), 16- 17 Boys Winner: Jordan Jung Mount Lawley Golf Club (71.11)
14 & Under Girls Winner: Amie Phobubpa Royal Perth Golf Club (76.40), 15- 17 Girls Winner: Abbie Teasdale Royal Fremantle Golf Club (71.21)
- Junior Golfer of the Year (Girls nominations): Abbie Teasdale (Royal Fremantle GC), Emma Clouston (The Vines), Ruby Fry (Mount Lawley GC), Sheridan Clancy (Lake Karrinyup CC), Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (Gosnells GC), Paris Rive (Joondalup CC), Yeah-jin Lee (Royal Perth GC), Karissa Sanchez (Hartfield GC).
- Junior Golfer of the Year (Boys nominations): Adam Brady (The Vines), Hayden Hopewell (Royal Fremantle GC), Mitchell Jovic (Royal Perth GC), Jordan Jung (Mount Lawley GC), Ethan Lim (Melville Glades GC), Josiah Gilbert (Gosnells GC), Connor McKinney (Joondalup CC), Josh Newton (Lake Karrinyup CC).
- Most Improved Golfer (Girls nominees): Celine Chen (Royal Fremantle GC), Aileen Sirait (Mount Lawley GC), Katie McCabe (The Vines), Jorja Hinson-Tolchard (Gosnells GC), Karissa Sanchez (Hartfield GC), Aiyana Morris (Royal Perth GC), Tiya Mehta (Lake Karrinyup CC)
- Most Improved Golfer (Boys nominations): Kloden Brown (Royal Fremantle GC), Harrison Andreou (Mount Lawley GC), Alexander Woods (The Vines), Josiah Edwards (Gosnells GC), Keanu Stephenson (Hartfield GC), Jasper Inglis (Royal Perth GC), Taran Mehta (Lake Karrinyup CC), Jayden Kane (Joondalup CC), Josiah Lim (Melville Glades GC)
