RISING STAR, Yeppoon Golf Club’s Ben Swaffield has taken out the inaugural 54-hole Central Queensland Junior Open Championship played at Capricorn Resort and Yeppoon Golf Club.
Swaffield carded rounds of 70-73-71 to finish with a 214 total – 12 shots clear of Capricorn Resort’s Ben Scott (226).
In B grade, Capricorn Resort’s Aiden Scott returned a 54-hole score of 253 to win from Gracemere’s Jye Goltzon (266).
Yeppoon’s James Jackson (297) won C grade from another Yeppoon junior, Isaac Alexander, (301)
Meanwhile, Emerald Lakes junior Emily Martin took out the junior girls open title with rounds of 84-84-86 for a 254 total.
The 13-year-old edged out Blackwater’s Rae Weiki by a single shot.
Pioneer Valley’s Ashley Knight (332) won the female B grade from Rockhampton’s Katelyn Cox (342) and Rockhampton’s Alana Manderson (308) took out the C grade.
Organisers Don and Shelley Scott are hoping to grow the event in coming years.
“We are hoping by making this the biggest event on the regional Queensland calendar it will grow each year,” Don Scott said.
“This event, previously a combination of the Capricorn Resort Junior Open and Yeppoon Junior Open, is also one of the few remaining Greg Norman Masters qualifiers.”
Junior golf in Central Queensland is on the march.
The Central Queensland Junior Open Championship catered for all-comers and included 13-, 9-, 6-, and 3-hole divisions.
Swaffield junior golfer of the year
THE hard work paid off for talented Yeppoon Golf Club member Ben Swaffield, who swept all before him winning the Central Queensland Overall Junior Golfer of the Award and the 18-hole gross junior golfer of the year.
Boyne Island’s Casey Randal took out the nine-hole Overall Junior Girls’ Golfer of the Year.
Other results: 13 holes gross boys, Gracemere’s Jacob Baynton; girls Boyne Island’s Charlize Murphy. Nine holes boys, Gladstone’s Oscar Mc Bean, and girls Boyne Island’s Casey Randal. Six holes division: Boys: Yeppoon’s Cruz Warner, girls, Gracemere’s Ammeliah Means. Three hole division: Boys, Yeppoon’s Ashton Jensen, girls: Boyne Island’s Megan Blake.
Gurney Medal Players player: This event gives all CQ juniors who attended the final junior open of the year a chance to put forward their choice as
Central Queensland’s best junior.
They selected: Junior male, Sam Atwell (Mt Morgan) and female Caitlyn Cox (Rockhampton).
Junior club of the year: It’s always a very close contest and is a sought-after title. The winner: Gracemere – 312 points; Yeppoon – 309; Boyne Island Tannum Sands – 263; Rockhampton – 180; Gladstone – 158; Wowan – 122; Miriam Vale – 103; Mount Morgan – 57; Capricorn Resort – 56 and Theodore – 3.
Meanwhile, Yeppoon’s Ben Swaffield and Rockhampton’s Caitlyn Cox have been selected to represent Golf Central Queensland at the 2017 Greg Norman Masters held on the Gold Coast in December.
Jake Swafield, Quinn Stover, Sam Atwell, Ben Scott, Aiden Scott, Declan Corke and Gracie Bayliss will also contest the Masters after qualifying with good performances throughout the year.
A four-time winner of the Australian Golf Media Awards, including Best Photojournalism, Best Opinion, Best Column and Best Photographic Presentation, Inside Golf Group Editor Richard Fellner is the quintessential Golf Tragic, having played the game for over 50 years (but has never gotten any better!) He has played and reviewed courses all over the world, and has interviewed many of the great players of the game (including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Greg Norman). Richard is a member of both the Australian Golf Media Association and the Golf Society of Australia, and has been a featured guest on many Australian "sports talk" radio shows and networks, including ABC Grandstand, SEN 1116, Melbourne Talk Radio 1377, 2GB and others.
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