Krishav Sheth edged a playoff against Kloden Brown to become the inaugural Webex Junior Players Series Perth champion at Royal Fremantle on Sunday.
The 16-year-old Lake Karrinyup Country Club member had led the 36-hole tournament – played in parallel with the PGA Tour of Australasia’s Webex Players Series Perth event – after an outstanding one-under-par 71 in his first round on Saturday.
Playing in the company of tour pros Connor McKinney and Haydn Barron, Sheth overcame early nerves to card six birdies in a swashbuckling round as he established a three-stroke lead over Kloden Brown with 18 to play.
Sheth than had the experience of playing in the final group on Sunday alongside Barron and Kirsten Rudgeley, both of whom were fixtures at the top of the leaderboard throughout the thrilling final day’s play.
Although he couldn’t match his opening-round exploits, Sheth’s four-over-par 76 on day two was enough to secure a playoff against Brown after the Royal Fremantle member fired a best-of-the-day 73 to take a share of the lead at +3 for the championship.
The teenage duo returned to the 18th tee for the first extra hole, with nerves apparent as both hit wayward tee shots, with Sheth having to take an unplayable after finding an impossible lie.
He recovered well to card a bogey six, which proved to be enough after Brown – who had struggles of his own – couldn’t quite covert his own bogey attempt.
The win was the most significant of scratch-handicapper Sheth’s career to date, who admitted he was relieved to get the job done under great pressure.
“It was amazing, especially after having to take an unplayable after my tee shot on 18,” he told GolfWA. “I’ve been looking for a win for a while now, so this is a great boost for my confidence heading into the junior events season.”
The inclusive nature of the Webex Players Series event saw 10 juniors compete alongside tour pros over the weekend – something that Sheth says was an invaluable learning experience.
“I was nervous with every shot because of all the spectators, but it was an amazing experience,” he added.
“I’ve learnt how the pros map their way around the course, where they hit the ball and how they approach putting. Little tips like that help your game by one or two shots a round, so I got a lot out of the experience.”
Sheth and several of the other junior competitors also benefitted form a mentoring session with tournament hosts Minjee and Min Woo Lee, while Minjee was present at the closing ceremony to award the winners’ trophies.
Elsewhere in the field, Joondalup Country Club’s Katie Seol claimed third place at +6, with Heejoo Cho (Royal Fremantle) and Declan Pereira (Lakelands CC) sharing 4th, three shots further back. View the final junior leaderboard here.
Read the wrap-up of the Webex Players Series Perth final round here.
Krishav with tournament hosts Minjee and Min Woo Lee
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