New South Wales’ Jye Halls and Victoria’s Jeneath Wong have had a day to remember in the opening round of the 2021 Australian Junior Amateur at Gold Creek Country Club.
Halls, in Year 11 at Ulladulla High School, carded a six-under 66 to lead the boys championship, while Wong, from the Metropolitan Club in Melbourne, carded a blemish-free 67 on a spectacular autumn morning in the national capital.
Halls sits one shot ahead of Toronto’s Jake Riley, while South Australian Nicholas Siegmund is another shot back in third. Jeffrey Guan of The Australian GC and Victorian Nathan Page are tied for fourth at three-under.
“It [six-under] is not my lowest, I have had a nine-under and a couple seven-under before but it still felt good to shoot a low number.”
“I just took it one shot at a time, I don’t think about it too much,” he said after today’s round.
The highlight of Hall’s day was his chip-in eagle on the third, which the 16-year-old parlayed into an impressive three-under opening nine.
“I hit a three-wood just short of the green and paced it out like I was looking at a putt,” he said. “When I hit the chip, I thought it was short at first, but it kept rolling and went in; it was a good start to my round.
Hall consolidated his good start adding even more red to his card with birdies at the 11th, 14th, 15th, and 16th to get to seven-under, before an unfortunate bogey on the penultimate hole stopped his high flying effort.
“I was trying to make one more birdie coming home but three-putted the 17th. “I had a chance to get it back on the last, but the putt just missed.”
Victoria’s Jeneath Wong leads the female field heading into day two by two shots from Caboolture’s Justice Bosio. A trio of girls sits another shot back at two-under, Victoria’s Molly McLean, Queensland’s Norika Wakayama and North Ryde’s Rachel Lee, while Sherida Clancy from Western Australia, and Michelle Di Natale of NSWGC are also in red figures at one under.
“Five birdies and no bogeys, that’s pretty good.
“It’s only my second round bogey-free.
“It would be really cool to win, I’m in my second last year of juniors,” Wong, the current Riversdale Cup Champ, said post-round.
Shot of the day has to go to South Australian Jade Kinita, who aced the par-three 12th with a solid eight iron from 122 metres.