South Australia’s Reagan Denton is leading the charge for the girls after an incredible first round at the Jack Newton International, while Concord’s Ti Fox and Bali’s Jayawardana Dornan are setting the pace for the boys.
The trio took to Cypress Lakes Golf and Country Club under ideal conditions today, where Denton shot an impressive seven-under-par 66, and Fox and Dornan both finished with five-under 67s.
Ti Fox, reflecting on his stellar round, shared, “I just didn’t really make many mistakes. Hit many fairways and many greens. Didn’t really give myself too many long putts, and that definitely helped. Took my chances on par fives and the par fours.”
Fox seemed to find his groove early, praising the course’s immaculate setup.
“It was beautiful. Played in the morning. So the greens are freshly cut and rolled, so rolling pure as usual,” he said.
His irons and wedges worked like magic, as he added, “My irons and wedges were working well for me today. Definitely didn’t miss too much with them. If I did, it wasn’t much, I’d still hit the greens.”
Known for being a slow starter, Fox was thrilled with his performance.
“I normally don’t get off to a really good start. And normally, I’m chasing after the first round. So happy where I am. Just keep doing what I’m doing.”
Meanwhile, Jayawardana Dornan, the 15-year-old talent from Bali, wasn’t expecting to go low but was pleased with his play.
“Yeah, it was a good round. I wasn’t really expecting to play pretty low, but yeah, no expectations. And I just, you know, played every shot, and it just ended up pretty good,” Dornan said, highlighting the importance of staying present on the course.
Dornan found the greens especially favourable today.
“The greens were really receptive, so soft as well. So it was playing spinner, so just throwing it past the pin and letting it spin back. So different conditions from what I usually play. But yeah, the course is in good condition,” he explained.
Though Dornan didn’t enter the tournament expecting to shoot a low score, he acknowledged the hard work behind it.
“I didn’t really expect to have a good score, but I know I’ve put enough work into it, so not really surprised, but definitely satisfied with the score.”
Dornan has fond memories of this tournament, having played in the 14 and under division last year.
“I played this tournament last year at the Rydges course with the 14 and unders and did pretty good. So let’s see what happens,” he said.
As for the atmosphere, Dornan is a fan.
“I love it. I love the setup. It’s really simple. It’s not overdone. And that’s the type of stuff I love from a tournament. And, yeah, just love coming back to this tournament. I’ll probably come back in the future and try to perform similar.”
In the girls’ division, Avondale’s Rachel Lee trails Denton in second after shooting a solid four-under, while Hawaii’s Kate Nakaoka is also in the mix in third on three under.
For the boys, Western Australia’s Nate Johnson, New Zealand’s Ryan Xie, and Victoria’s Elbert Kim are tied for third at four under par.
⛳ Jack Newton International Leaderboard
Meanwhile, over at The Vintage, the Sub-Classic is shaping up to be just as competitive. Queensland’s Janie Carroll, Victoria’s Feiyu Xing, and the ACT’s Sophia Chau share the lead in the girls’ division at +3. The boys’ division is currently led by Victorian Anton Kovacevic, sitting at an even score.
The action wasn’t limited to Cypress Lakes, as the 12 and Under Classic and the 9 Hole Classic were also contested at Rydges today. Here’s a look at the performances from both competitions:
