Reigning NSW Junior Champion Jeffrey Guan leads the men’s division of the NSW Amateur after a course record 65 at Kooindah Waters Golf Club today.
Guan, 16, left the field in his wake, binning an impressive eight birdies, including a run of four straight from the 5th to the 8th. The only one blemish on his card, a bogey, came on the par-four 9th.
Impressively, 26 putts were all the 16-year old required to craft the four-shot lead.
Guan is a combined 22 under par for his last six rounds, a stellar feat for an accomplished touring professional, let alone a teenager about to embark on his Higher School Certificate.
And it’s all happened in the last eight days.
“My Driving wasn’t that good today, but my putting was great.
“I got a new putter, a Juno from Taylor Made; I started using it at the Harvey Norman last week in Sydney.
“Magic Juno, definitely,” he smiled.
Guan described the level of confidence he currently has over a putt as surreal.
“80 per cent of the time you know it’s going in.
“You get the line and the speed right, it’s dead-centre.”
With his morning effort safely in the books, Guan spent the afternoon walking around the imposing Magenta layout, acutely aware that the task would be challenging if the north-easterly blows like it did this afternoon.
“There’s a lot of wind. It’s going to be a challenge to keep the ball straight.
“Definitely going to be tough,” he said.
Three shots back of the leader Guan in the men’s division is Maitland’s Hayden Gulliver who has carded an impressive four-under-par effort in the tougher afternoon half of the draw at Kooindah, while Central Coast local Jordie Garner, is another shot back at three under.
Daniel Kolar, back home after a successful college career at Washington State, is at one-under alongside Mollymook-based NSW GC rep Jye Halls.
RD1 Scores:
MEN (NSW unless stated)
-7: Jeffrey Guan (The Australian)
-4: Hayden Gulliver (Maitland)
-3: Jordan Garner (St. Michael’s)
-1: Jye Halls (NSW GC), Daniel Kolar (St. Michael’s)
E: Grant Lomas (Oatlands)
+1: Jack Phillips (Concord), Jonathan Boedimans (The Australian), Blake Phillips (Concord), Dylan Grogan (Wyong).
+2: Keegan Phillips (Toukley), Riley Millers (Avondale), Billy Flanagan (Coffs Harbour), Daley Loumanis (St. Michael’s), Jones Comerford (Bonnie Doon)
+3 Ali Rachid (St. Michael’s), Thomas Heaton (The Australian), Ethan Forsyth (Kooindah Waters), Patrick Idquival (Castle Hill) , Jacob Dundas (Mona Vale, Zac Telfer (Monash), Kieren Jones (Shelly Beach), Mark Hale (Mudgee), Shashank Koriala (Bonnie Doon), Josh Fuller (The Vintage).
WOMEN (NSW unless stated)
-1: Claire Shin (Twin Creeks), Kelsey Bennett (St. Michael’s)
E: Grace Kim (Avondale)
+1: Sophie Yip (Concord), Michelle Moon (NSW GC)
+2: Stefanie Hall (The Australian)
+3: June Song (Avondale)
+4: Ella Scaysbrook (Newcastle)
+5: Yerin Kim (Strathfield), Brielle Mapanao (The Australian), Annika Boyd (Toukley)
+6: Alena Oppenheimer (Bonnie Doon), Ella Murray (Dubbo)
+7 Madison Woodley (Concord), Ashleigh Arnold (Bonnie Doon).
2.00pm: Gee Whiz! It’s Jeff with seven
Reigning NSW Junior Champion Jeffrey Guan leads the men’s division of the NSW Amateur after a course record seven under 65 at Kooindah Waters Golf Club today.
Guan, 17, left the field in his wake, binning an impressive eight birdies, including a run of four straight from the 5th to the 8th, with only one blemish on his card, a bogey on the par-four 9th.
Full leaderboards for the Men, Women, Men’s Champion of Club Champions and the Leo Wray Bowl can be found HERE
Four shots back of the leader is the St. Michael’s duo, Central Coast local Jordie Garner, and Daniel Kolar.
Garner’s round included a fast-finishing four-under back nine, while Kolar is currently on course through eight holes.
NSW GC rep Jye Halls is at one-under, with Hayden Gulliver and Kreolin Moodley are both on course at Kooindah and in red figures.
1.30pm: Bennett, Shin share lead at Magenta
Twin Creeks Claire Shin and St. Michael’s Kelsey Bennett share the lead after the opening round of the 2021 Women’s NSW Amateur at Magenta Shores Golf club.
Shin, Twin Creeks, and Bennett, from Sydney’s St. Michael’s were the only players in the women’s field to finish in red figures, carding matching one-under-par 71 in conditions which became more challenging the morning wore on.
“I’m very happy with it, just my putting. I could have made a few more birdies,” 16-year-old Shin said after the round. “My driver was the key today.”
“You have to hit it in the right spot here so it can roll out on the fairway, otherwise it can kick off to the right or left.”
On the other hand, Bennett, who was runner-up in the 2020 championship, was left rueing a missed chance on the reachable par-five last, failing to get up-and-down from the front bunker for birdie.
“I had to hit my second shot for a downslope,” Bennett said. “I had 218 (metres) to the flag and thought I could get a four iron there.
“It came out too low and rolled into the front trap.
“I’m still stoked with the score in the conditions regardless,” Bennett smiled.
A shot back from Shin and Bennett is defending Champion Grace Kim. who carded an even-par 72, with Concord’s Sophie Yip and local Michelle Moon another shot back at one-over.
The Australian Golf Club’s Stefanie Hall is at two over, with Avondale’s June Song at three over par. Ella Scaysbrook (76) is alone in 8th, while Annika Boyd, Brielle Mapanao, and Yerin Kim round out the top 10.
11.40am: Michelle Over the Moon with Opening 73
Gosford local Michelle Moon has carded one of the rounds of the morning, a one-over-par 73 in testing conditions at Magenta Shores Golf and Country Club.
The 16-year-old, a member of Magenta Shores and NSW Golf clubs in Sydney, had four birdies against five bogies in a bit of a rollercoaster round on the resort course.
“It’s my best score (here) at Magenta,” she beamed post-round. ” All the tees were further back too.”
Moon said her round was a bit of mix which could’ve been better had she converted a couple of chances on the back nine.
“My front nine was pretty good, but I didn’t make many par saves on the back.
“I need to hole a few more tomorrow,” Moon said.
7.00am: Amateur Underway on the Central Coast
The 123rd NSW Amateur Championship is underway at Magenta Shores Golf and Country Club and Kooindah Waters Golf Club on the NSW Central Coast.
Conditions are perfect for golf with a slight sea breeze greeting the morning players.
The weather, predictably, will be hot with a top temperature expected to top around 30 degrees.
Defending Champion in the women’s division, Grace Kim is on course at Magenta, playing alongside Twin Creeks Claire Shin and The Australian’s Brielle Mapanao.
