6 & Under Division – Champion – Brody MacIver
Brody MacIver has had an incredible season by anyone’s standard, amassing a mammoth 662 points from his best 10 events. He has had one of the highest win rates seen on the BJGT, racking up 19 victories during the season, including four of the five Major Championships and the Tour Championship to end the season.
He thoroughly deserves the title of 6 & Under 2021 Order of Merit Champion, so our congratulations go to him!
Zachary Blayney had a superb second half of the season, not having joined us until the Burnham-on-Crouch Classic in July, to rise to second on the table with 483 points and claim the runner-up trophy and the fantastic prizes that went with it. His results show just how consistent he’s been and he obviously loves to play and compete, so we look forward to watching him over the coming seasons.
Jack Proctor held on to secure third place on the Order Merit table with 465 points, ahead of Elliot Bond, as these four players separated themselves from the rest. Jack has had some wonderful results, and played some cracking golf this season, so should be very proud of himself.
This has been a brilliant season for the 6 & Under Division, we have seen 34 players in the age group over the course of the year, which is just wonderful, they have played some great golf and, more importantly, made some very good friends.
7-8 Division – Champion – Ruaan Vamadevan
Ruaan Vamadevan was always going to be one to watch this season, but to top the table in such a talented and competitive age group is something that he should be very proud of. When any number of players could win each event, we always knew that the race was going to be close, but we didn’t realise just how close! Ruaan took the narrowest of leads over Marcus Karim into the Tour Championship, which he won in style with a round of 77, holding his nerve under pressure to take the overall title with a total of 662 points. Ruaan is another thoroughly deserving recipient of the 7-8 Order of Merit Champion title, so congratulations to him!
Marcus, who only moved up to the 7-8 Division this season, having claimed the 6 & Under title last season, showed just what a classy player he is, as he mixed it with older players and proved more than a match. He pushed Ruaan all the way, right to the final round at the Tour Championship, narrowly missing out on first place with a total of 628 points. However, it would take a brave person to bet against him going one place better in 2022, as he will again compete for this age group title.
Mihir Pasura was another player who had his sights on the Tour Champion title at the start of the season, but he had to settle for third place with his total of 581 points, as the Top 3 finished more than 100 points clear of the rest. He was one of the most consistent players throughout the season, which included the Summer Cup title, so should be more than pleased with his efforts this year. We know that he will move up and most certainly be fighting for the Tour Champion trophy next season.
A special mention must also go to Maybel Brooks, who finished in 4th place overall on the Order of Merit table with 479 points and showed just how the girls can mix it with the boys in the age groups. Very well played, Maybel – be proud and keep smiling!
An incredible strength in depth has been on show this season in the 7-8 Division; there have been 62 players and the level of golf has been incredible! They are already getting the taste for competitive golf, they love meeting up and testing themselves against their friends throughout the year on Tour.
9-10 Division – Champion – Zahn Bopiah
Zahn Bopiah, one of the longest hitters in the division, rose to the top of the Order of Merit table at just the right time, putting together a series of results that gave him a total of 648 for the season and taking top spot with a few events remaining. Zahn has barely been outside the Top 3 in events throughout the year to prove that consistency really does pay over the course of a season. Zahn obviously used his first year in the 9-10 Division in 2020 to great effect, rising to the top this time round, so we look forward to seeing what he can do as he moves up a division in 2022.
Oliver McDonnell is another who made a late run-up the Order of Merit table, making it all the way to the runner-up position to go one place better than 2020 with a points total of 620. Undoubtedly a fantastic golfer, which he showed with a 2-under round at The Players Championship to claim his second Major title of the year. He will now move up a division to be playing 18 holes, alongside Zahn, and we know that both boys will relish the challenge.
Third place on the 2021 Order or Merit went to AJ Van Emmenis after an incredible first half of the season, when he was virtually unstoppable. AJ fully deserves his place on the podium amongst the trophy places at the end of the season to recognise just how good he is.
An incredible 105 players competed over the course of the season in what was the second most popular division, only beaten by the Junior Open. A very competitive division, the players in this age group are getting a real taste for competition and knowing what they need to do to feature in the prizes.
11-12 Division – Champion – Maxi Moore
Maxi Moore has had a simply stunning season, which included three Major titles and the Summer Cup, giving him a total of 620 points and a commanding lead at the top of the season-long Order of Merit. Maxi has a habit of pulling something out the bag just when he needs it, such as holing 40ft putts on the final green of both the Summer Cup and The Rai Challenge to take both titles by single shots. Many congratulations to Maxi on a wonderful season of golf, a well-deserved Tour Champion!
Justin Chenu trailed Ellis Kerr by two points going into the Tour Championship, in 4th place, as the two seemingly battled it out for the third and final place on the podium, but a superb performance to finish second saw him leapfrog Ellis, and Alexander Mills (who was sitting in second place on the OOM but sadly had to withdraw, as he was unwell on the morning of the event), meaning that Justin grabbed second place on the overall table at the final hurdle. A superb first half of the season that included the first Major of the year, The BJGT Open, he was always going to be in the reckoning come the end of the season but couldn’t quite hold on for the top spot.
Ellis held his nerve and couldn’t have done any more, as a fine performance at the final event saw him take the Tour Championship title. However, he couldn’t stop Justin overtaking him for second but did secure the last of the trophy places on the Order of Merit. This shows just how consistent he has been this season to feature amongst the prize places. We know that he will again be one to watch next season, as he stays in this same age group. He will almost certainly be contending for the title come next October!
The first of the 18-hole divisions in 2021, where 76 players played throughout the season, many of whom had moved up to a full competitive round for the first time. A real learning curve on their journey through the BJGT pathway, with many lessons being learned, but where the top players look to get as close to the magic level par round as possible.
13-14 Division – Champion – Ronnie Groves
Ronnie Groves is our reigning 11-12 Tour Champion and has had no trouble in stepping up an age group to become the first player to secure back-to-back titles, in different divisions – a very impressive feat with a season total of 532! Ronnie has quite simply been the best player in the division this season, which included wins in the Wales Open and the Summer Cup; he pretty much had the title tied up before the Tour Championship but put in another brilliant performance to take the title in style!
With the 13-14 Division not continuing next season, Ronnie will move up to the White Tee Junior Open, where we know that he will be gunning for a third BJGT Tour Champion title in a row.
Will Bailey has had a wonderful and very memorable season, ending it with the runner-up place on the Order of Merit on 467 points. While he couldn’t quite catch Ronnie, he put in some superb displays throughout the season, qualifying at Sunningdale Heath for his first appearance in the British Par 3 Championship at Nailcote Hall, where he won the Norma Herd trophy for top amateur with a round that included back-to-back holes-in-one, which we think is a world first! Will also moves up with Ronnie to the next division, where we know that they will enjoy continuing their rivalry.
Edward Mason held on to third place, having held a 14-point lead over Bailee Taylor going into the season finale, and put in a solid display to make sure that he wasn’t caught on the final day, ending with a season total of 417. Edward used his power to good effect this season to make sure that he was almost always in the reckoning for maximum points, but most notably at Old Fold Manor, where he took his first Major win in the BJGT Masters. He is another who will compete in the top division next season, as a great crop of players make the move up.
We saw 81 players compete over the course of the season in this division, but many of the fields were smaller than we predicted and would have liked. This division saw some quality golf, as players stepped up in distance and got to compete directly against their peer group. However, this division will now be combined with the Junior Open from 2022.
Junior Open Net Division – Champion – Ben Benetar
The closest of all the Divisions, this really did come down to the wire, as just four points separated Joel Warne and Ben Benetar going into the Tour Championship.
Ben had a superb final day to take the title and top the table at the critical point, securing the Tour Champion title, to give him a season total of 510. Nerves were always going to be a factor after a long season and so few points between them, but this is what the BJGT is all about, preparing players to deal with the emotions that come from being in contention for a major title.
Joel missed out on the overall title by the narrowest of margins, but with 445 points he held off a late charge from Freddie Raven to finish the season in the runner-up position. Joel was another who was utterly determined to win his first BJGT Tour Champion title, even playing through the pain barrier for the final few weeks with a neck injury.
Freddie Raven unfortunately had to withdraw from the Tour Championship due to testing positive for Covid-19, but he had a standout second half of the season where he really hit some form, taking a number of titles, including the Players Championship, which gave him third place on the Order of Merit going into the Tour Championship but only by two points from Oliver Brightman. Oliver couldn’t quite get the points required on the final day at the Tour Championship to take third place, so Freddie held on with a total of 406 points.
We must give a special mention to Amelia McGinty, who finished as the leading girl on the Junior Open Net Division table and 5th overall with 376 points – a great achievement! Amelia always has a smile on her face and obviously loves her golf, so we look forward to seeing how she does on the new dedicated Girls’ OOM next year.
Junior Open Gross Division – Champion – Micah Blowers
Micah Blowers becomes the first player to claim back-to-back titles in the Junior Open division by again showing his class to top the table with 634 points, and given the level of player on the BJGT, this is some achievement! To make it even more impressive, he did so with one event to spare, as he only needed points from 9 events to give him an unassailable lead. Micah has had some fantastic battles throughout the year against top quality opposition, so can justifiably rank himself as one of the best players in the country. Can he make it a three-peat next season?!
James Brash finished the season with a flurry, having wins in the final two majors of the year, The Rai Challenge and The Boys Players Championship, to make the Tour Championship at his home club of Foxhills. He subsequently finished third in the season-ending event to leave him tied with Joel Warne on 512 points for the season.
An incredible result that required a ‘countback’ decision based on the number of wins throughout the season, which James edged 3-1, showing that he is one of the best players out there and we fully expect him to contend again next season having played just 8 events to claim second place.
Joel Warne claimed a fantastic double haul of 2021 Order of Merit trophies, as he added the third place Gross Division prize to his Net Division runner-up.
Special mention must also go to Ellie Lichtenhein, who finished as the leading girl on the Junior Open Gross Division table, and 4th overall with 458 points, as her season ended with the Girls’ titles at the Tour Championship and an overall win in the Players Championship. Ellie always sets herself the highest of standards and expectations, so we know that she will be going all out for the inaugural Girls’ Junior Open title in 2022.
We again broke the 200 barrier, as 201 different players competed in the Junior Open Division in 2021. This is always going to be the most popular, competitive, and hotly contested division, with players from all over the country competing, as we continue to see the best players coming through our system.
Special thanks go to Decathlon UK, Titleist, Hill St. and the European Tour for their fabulous contributions to the prize table, we hope you agree that the juniors were very lucky: Inesis tour bags, umbrellas, towels and gloves from Decathlon; balls and hats from Titleist; the most amazing artisan chocolates from Hill St. (get those Christmas orders in now!); vouchers from the European Tour.
Caddie of the Year – Cary Bopiah
After the usual influx of nominations, the decision over picking the Caddie of the Year is always tough!
There were so many deserving contenders, all displaying worthy attributes throughout the season, which did not go unnoticed by fellow players and caddies.
We know how difficult it can be at times on the course, so caddies play an important role. Cary Bopiah showed that he embodies just how parents/caddies should act when helping their player/child. He has been calm and supportive, not only towards his own child, but all players in his group, and always approachable and chatty. A thoroughly deserving winner, we hope that the trophy has pride of place and we look forward to seeing the caddie bib out on the fairways again next season!
2021 Season Round-up
After an unprecedented 2020, the lasting effects of the Covid-19 pandemic did play a part in the 2021 season, but the BJGT team would like to take this opportunity to thank all the players and their families for their continued support this season to keep us as the leading junior golf tour in the country. We simply wouldn’t be here without you – the family feeling that we are so proud of is all down to you and the atmosphere that you create. We know that lifelong friends are made on the BJGT and while the golf is important, it’s not as important as the enjoyment of the game on and off the course.
Lastly, huge thanks go to all our sponsors and supporters and to all our fantastic hosting venues – thank you for supporting junior golf and helping us continue to grow and improve!
We hope that you all have a great ‘off-season’ – enjoy some downtime, although we know that the practice will soon resume… We look forward to seeing you all again in 2022, stay tuned for the core schedule in the next couple of weeks! This year, BJGT members will have 24 hours advance access once the schedule goes live and an access code will be emailed to you closer to the time. BJGT membership is available to purchase from our online Shop.
