WHEN the six members of the Western Region Academy of Sport’s golf squad tee off at the Bathurst Golf Club this weekend, they will form part of the biggest junior masters field assembled in recent years.
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Dubbo’s Ella Murray will be joined by Bathurst quartet Ben and Jake Davis, Cameron Jackson and Casey Thompson as well as Kandos’ Thomas Large in the WRAS contingent at the Peter O’Malley Junior Masters.
They are part of a capacity field of more than 200 juniors for each of the two days of competition, but as well as vying for masters glory, the WRAS golfers have another goal.
Murray enjoyed a stellar 2017 and got her handicap down from 19 to seven while she also won last year’s Junior Classic at the Bathurst course.
The weekend’s event doubles as the Jack Newton Junior Golf Regional Academy of Sport Academy Challenge.
“It is the Peter O'Malley Masters, but it's the inter-academy challenge too, so our squad will be competing against the 10 other regional academies in New South Wales,” WRAS executive officer Candice Boggs said.
“There is a lot of talent in that team and they are very young too. To have that talent at a very young age, hopefully they can gain a lot of experience from playing in tournaments like this and that will help them with their development over the next couple of years.”
How the scoring for the challenge works is that academies field teams of four players, with the best three scores going towards the overall championship.
Given WRAS’ squad numbers, they will field two teams of three players.
“It doesn't have much room for error, but I think they’ll be very comfortable playing at their home course, they are very familiar with their surrounds,” Boggs said.
“I'd really love to see them do well and hold their own own against the other academies who have squads that are older than ours.”
As for the masters, there will be scratch and handicap winners for boys and girls in the 11 years and under, 12 and 13 years, 14 and 15 years plus 16 and over age divisions.
The best performed boys and girls from across those age groups will be crowned the overall champions.
While competition for the major honours will be stiff, both 2017 champions Jones Comerford (Bonnie Doon) and Sophie Yip (Concord) will not return to Bathurst this weekend.
Comerford has now graduated from the junior ranks, while Yip will be busy with state commitments after recently being selected in both the NSW junior girls and NSW women’s teams.
It means Corey Lamb (Concord), Adam Thorp (Federal), Clayton Small (Long Reef) head into the tournament as favourites in the boys division after all performing well in the recent NSW and ACT Major Pennant Season.
In the girls division, Shannon Lee (Ryde Parramatta) will be looking to make it back-to-back junior masters victories in the girls division after recently winning at Wagga Wagga.
O’Malley will be in attendance to cast his eye over the talented juniors in action, with play to get underway from 7.15am both days.
