Over 100 young golfers between the ages of 7-12 put on a tour de force performance at the Primary Schools Championship at Gosnells.
The event, co-staged by GolfWA and School Sport WA, drew a record crowd of 109 players who contested nine-hole Stableford and Modified Stroke Play competitions, with prizes for individuals and school teams.
Applecross Primary’s dynamic duo of Jenna Phoon and Minh Bressan Nguyen combined adroitly to post a winning score of 40 points to claim the Stableford team title. In winning, they denied runners-up Harry Squibb and Owen Spedding a three-peat in the event after the Atwell Primary pair had won the previous two competitions.
In the Modified Stroke team tournament, Lake Joondalup Baptist College’s lineup of Zachariah Wood, Zander Wilde and Finn Mitchell reigned supreme, with Sean Wu and Zachary Sasidharan of Caledenia Primary bagging the runner-up spot.
The individual titles were just as hotly contested. Halia Edwards (Aspiri Primary) made full use of home-course advantage to win the Girls’ Stableford division. Her 18-point haul was enough to edge out Hannah Houston (Aveley North) and Lynn Suh (Riverton Primary) by two points.
In the Boys’ Stableford, Minh Bressan Nguyen (Applecross) was in dominant form to card a 25-point haul that left him five clear of Isaac Low (Bletchley Primary) and Chase Thurlow (Floreat Park Primary).
Buoyed by a sensational eagle on the 15th, Alkimos Primary’s Will O’Hare captured the Boys Modified Stroke Years 4-6 title ahead of Ryker Sampson (Piara Waters Primary) and Finn Mitchell (Lake Joondalup Baptist College). In the Boys’ Years 2-3 category, LeBron Vaiimene (Forest Crescent Primary) made light of his diminutive stature to post a comfortable win over Zachariah Wood (Lake Joondalup Baptist College) and George Tan (Wesley College).
Clara Escoli (Willerton Primary) just edged out Eabha Cody (Edgewater Primary) to win the Girls Modified Stroke years 4-6 crown, with Wanita Beck (Bannister Creek Primary) third. And last but not least, Zara Spedding (Atwell Primary) turned on the style to win the Girls Years 2-3 Modified Stroke title by 11 shots from Kaela Wilson (Subiaco Primary), with Grace Stielow (Wesley College) third.
Jordan McSkimming, GolfWA’s Junior Development Officer, said: “We were blown away by the interest in this year’s event as well as the standards of play. Congratulations to all our winners, but also to everyone who competed with such good sportsmanship and such resilience.
“For a number of players, today was their first taste of competitive golf and we do hope their experience will give them the confidence to start competing on a more regular basis in events like the Crunch&Sip Junior Tour.”
Our thanks to all at Gosnells Golf Club for hosting the championship, and to the 10 junior volunteers from Como Golf Academy, who chaperoned the Stableford players around the course and ensured a brisk pace of play throughout.
View the full individual and team results here.
View a gallery of images from the event on the GolfWA Facebook page.
The day’s winners
Stableford winners Minh Bressan Nguyen and Halia Edwards
Girls Stableford
1st (18 points) = Halia Edwards (Aspiri Primary)
2nd (16 points) = Hannah Houston (Aveley North)
3rd (16 points) = Lynn Suh (Riverton Primary)
Boys Stableford
1st (25 points) = Minh Bressan Nguyen (Applecross Primary)
2nd (20 points) = Isaac Low (Bletchley Primary)
3rd (20 points) = Chase Thurlow (Floreat Park Primary)
Team Stableford
1st (40 points) = Jenna Phoon and Minh Bressan Nguyen (Applecross Primary)
2nd (35 points) = Owen Spedding and Harry Squibb (Atwell Primary)
Girls Modified Stroke (Yrs 2-3)
1st (score of 60) = Zara Spedding (Atwell Primary)
2nd (score of 71) = Kaela Wilson (Subiaco Primary)
3rd (score of 77) = Grace Stielow (Wesley College)
Girls Modified Stroke (Yrs 4-6)
1st (score of 50) = Clara Escoli (Willetton Primary)
2nd (score of 51) = Eabha Cody (Edgewater Primary)
3rd (score of 55) = Wanita Beck (Bannister Creek Primary)
Boys Modified Stroke (Yrs 2-3)
1st (score of 52) = LeBron Vaiimene (Forest Crescent Primary)
2nd (score of 59) = Zachariah Wood (Lake Joondalup Baptist College)
3rd (score of 63) = George Tan (Wesley College)
Boys Modified Stroke (Yrs 4-6)
1st (score of 41) = Will O’Hare (Alkimos Primary)
2nd (score of 45) = Ryker Sampson (Piara Waters Primary)
3rd (score of 45) = Finn Mitchell (Lake Joondalup Baptist College)
Team Modified Stroke
1st (score of 99) = Zachariah Wood, Zander Wilde, Finn Mitchell (Lake Joondalup Baptist College)
2nd (score of 107) = Sean Wu, Zachary Sasidharan (Caledenia Primary)
Find out more about Junior Golf programs near you here.
