Our second trip of the season to Sunningdale Heath, this time with the opportunity for the younger age divisions to show their stuff!
Being played on the same day as the final round of the BMW PGA Championship, down the road at Wentworth, this event felt very similar, with no less talent on show.
Our thanks, as always, go out to Tom who couldn’t be more supportive of junior golf in allowing us to take over for the second time this season, and to Warren for all his help in the run up to the event.
Beautiful conditions, sunny with a gentle breeze, made for an ideal day’s golf and scoring certainly reflected this, with the added bonus of an extra 5 holes to play.
6/Under
The 6 & Under division went out first, with the largest field of the year on show, probably anywhere in the UK, as an incredible 18 boys and girls took to the fairways. Brody MacIver continued his stunning season on the BJGT, as he claimed yet another victory to add to his expanding trophy collection, his 56 for the 14 holes giving him an 8-shot victory over Zachary Blayney, who snatched the runner-up place from the final group on the course, as his 64 edged Elliott Bond, 65, into third. Lilly Pielesz took the honours for the girls with her round of 76.
Elliott claimed the Nearest-The-Pin prize for the division, as his tee shot into the 15th hole finished just 12ft from the pin.
A superb event at Sunningdale Heath has set up an incredible finish to the Order of Merit, as Zachary and Jack Proctor are now tied in second place, with Elliott not far behind with two scoring events left.
7-8 Category
The 7-8 Division saw a superbly talented field, arguably the strongest we’ve seen this season, with the winner impossible to call beforehand.
It was Freddie Buck who came out on top after his superb round of 53, although his winning margin was just one stroke, as Toby Chahrvin produced a fine 54 to take the runner-up place. Behind them, Ruaan Vamadevan, Mihir Pasura and Leyton Riches all signed for rounds of 57, with the resulting countback giving Ruaan the decision over the last 9 holes.
The 7-8 Division Nearest-The-Pin was won by Michael Egan with a fabulous shot finishing 4ft from the pin.
The top two in the Order of Merit, Marcus Karim and Ruaan Vamadevan, are separated by just 11 points with two counting event remaining!
9-10 Category
The 9-10 Division was also one of the largest we’ve seen, as 35 players teed it up at Sunningdale Heath, meaning big Order of Merit points were available to the players in their search to improve places on the table.
Oliver McDonnell proved to be the best on the day with a fine round of 53 that not only gave him the win, but also moved him into the Top 3 on the Order of Merit table. Euhwan Kim fired a very solid round of 54 to take home the runner-up trophy, his first on the BJGT, while Thomas James took the final podium place after signing for a total of 56. However, he needed a countback to get the place ahead of Rhys Hughes, Dominic McKenna and Isaac Martin, who all matched the 56 in a 4-way tie.
The Girls 9-10 Division was topped by Emily-May Clements after her round of 74.
The 9-10 Division’s Nearest-The-Pin was won by Sully Donald with a lovely shot finishing just 3ft from the pin.
The BJGT moves to Cambridge Country Club on 19 September for the first 2022 IMG Academy Junior World Championships Qualifier, in a brief departure from the regular Tour events, before returning two weeks later for the final Major of the year, the Players Championship at The Springs GC.
