Junior Open
The Boys Junior Open had the honour of starting the tour off, with home Moor Park member Fenton Bailey hitting the first tee shot.
Fenton went on to use his knowledge of the tight and undulating West Course, to take the Net Division win, on his BJGT debut, by carding a superb round of 63. He was followed home by Freddie Raven, just 2-shots behind, as he got off to a great start to continue his 2021 form. Jaden Hanson competed the Net podium places in third, a further 2-shots behind, and this was not his only trophy of the day.
The first Gross title of the season was lifted by James Brash. He hit the ground running, to head the early Order of Merit, after his round of 74. This gave him a single shot victory over Jules Hardy. Jules’ 75 needed a countback decision over Jaden Hanson to grab second, meaning Jaden collected a second third place trophy, and a very pleasing start to his season.
The inaugural Girls Junior Open Gross Division title went to Tilly O’leary, as she carded a round of 80, to claim the first maximum points of the season. Sapphire Boyce put her winter training into practice, taking the runner-up place, with a round of 85.
Amelie’s 93 left her with a Net total of 69, and at the top of the leaderboard, to get her 2022 season off to a winning start. The margin was 3-shots back to Tilly, who took home her second trophy of the day, adding a runner-up to the winner’s trophy she’d already secured.
9-12 Boys
The other brand new division, the Boys 9-12 Junior Open, may just be the hottest of them all. This season, the level and depth of ability is just phenomenal. Kodi Dean made the perfect start, claiming maximum points in the Gross Division at the first event, as his round of 77 gave him a countback victory over Rhys Hughes, with the better back 9. A fantastic start for Rhys’ season too. Tristan Evans grabbed third place, just a single shot behind the lead pair, as four players broke the 80 barrier on the day.
The Net Division saw Rhys go one place better, grabbing top spot, with an incredible final total of 61, adding a larger trophy to his winnings on the day. It was a memorable day for Ralph Barnett, as he secured his first podium finish on the BJGT, to make all his hard work over the winter pay off, and we know the trophy will take pride of place. Tanus Van Molendorf completed the trophy placings as he took third place, with a round of 64, as the top 7 all went under par.
6/Under
The 6&Under Division started the season, probably setting a trend, with a tie at the top, as Harry Edginton and Rex Pickavance both carded rounds of 50. Harry got the nod on countback to take maximum points at event no. 1, leaving Rex in second place. Oscar Ross needed a countback to grab third place from Lahan Kim, as they had matching rounds of 53. This division looks set to be very competitive.
Yixuan Liu was the leading girl in the division, firing a fine 57 on her BJGT debut, to take home the winner’s trophy. It was fantastic to see three girls in the field, which bodes well for the future as we look to encourage more girls to come out and have some fun.
7-8 Category
The 7-8 Division is another that again will be very competitive and unsurprisingly we started with a tie at the top, Zachary Blayney showed he will be one to watch this season as he moved up from 6&Under Division and very impressively won his first event in the higher age group. He and Marcus Karim, another who we know will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season, both had brilliant sub-forty rounds of 39 that needed separating by the countback with Zachary having the better final 6 holes, Michael Egan also had a fine start to his 2022 season with a round of 42 to secure third place to take home a nice glass trophy at the first event of the year.
Chenxi Liu (58) matched her sister’s result in the younger division as she also took home a winner’s trophy to make it a family double and a wonderful start to their BJGT careers.
9-10 Category
The Boys 9-10 Division was headed by Aditya Sawhney, as he continued his improvement through 2021, into the new season. He signed for a fine 39, as the only player to break 40 in the division, to claim the winner’s trophy. He was followed home by Oliver Smith, who’s round of 42, gave him second place, and a solid start to his BJGT campaign. Dominic McKenna finished just a single shot further back in third, to take home the final trophy on offer.
The Girls Division saw Maybel Brooks deservedly take home a winner’s trophy, as her superb round of 40 would have given her second place overall, while Truc Nguyen (47) secured second place, and showed she is improving rapidly as she begins her second season on the BJGT.
We also had a raffle running on the day, in support of the Melanoma Fund, as we will at most events this season. Tanus Van Molendorf name came out the hat to win the 1st place prize Titleist wedge, and having already won a trophy in his competition, he had rather a good day!
Look out for these at events as there are some fantastic prizes on offer each time.
Above are a few photos taken at the event.
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