Brisbane, Australia: South Australian Raegan Denton and New Zealand’s Cooper Moore prevailed in pulsating play-offs to claim the Australian Junior Girls' and Boys' championships.
The leaderboards for both championships fluctuated wildly on the final day at Indooroopilly Golf Club until it came to an almost inevitable conclusion of requiring extra holes.
Dubbo Golf Club’s Cooper Giddings (65) played his final 10 holes in seven-under-par to reach five-under, holing a five-iron from 186 metres for eagle at the long 16th and then making birdie at both 17 and 18.
Playing four groups behind, Moore (68) was at four-under playing the 16th hole when he became aware of the score he needed to beat. The reigning New Zealand amateur champion walked in a birdie putt from 18 feet at the par-three 17th and then left what would have been the winning putt short in the jaws on 18.
The pair traded pars on the first two play-off holes before Giddings appeared to gain the ascendancy when Moore hit his second shot at the third extra hole into the greenside bunker.
As Giddings stalked his 18-foot putt for birdie, Moore splashed out to perfection, the ball bouncing once and then trickling into the hole.
“That’s probably the first one,” said Moore when asked whether he’d ever holed a bunker shot to win a tournament before.
“Heading back to the tee for that third time, it was getting to the point where I just wanted to be done, get it over and done with. Then I hit my approach shot into the short-side bunker and I was like: ‘It’s cooked there’. I needed something special to extend the play-off because I was still expecting him to at least hole it or two-putt.
“Then when I holed it, it was like: ‘Wow!’ It was quite surprising.”
Joint leader after 36 holes at the Wallace Development NZ PGA Championship on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia a month ago, Moore now joins Daniel Hillier as the only players to have completed the Australian Junior Boys-New Zealand Amateur double.
Denton’s win was something of a redemption having finished runner-up to Shyla Singh at Gosnells Golf Club last year.
Little separated the top half-dozen players in the girls’ championship all week and the lead changed hands numerous times during the final round.
Seeking to become just the third person to win both the Australian Women’s Amateur and Australian Girls Junior in the same year, Rachel Lee (NSW) held a narrow advantage until Denton made birdies at both 15 and 16.
The tide soon turned again, however, as Denton dropped shots at 17 and 18 for a round of even-par 72 and three-over total.
Lee (74) arrived at the 72nd hole at one-over and 14-year-old Sydneysider Camilla Kim two-over but more drama was to come.
Kim (75) hit her tee shot into the water left and made bogey while Lee’s second shot finished in an awful downhill lie in the front-right bunker.
Her first attempt to extricate her ball was unsuccessful and then she left herself an eight-foot downhill sliding putt for bogey and the championship. When that missed on the left edge, all three were locked together at three-over and headed for extra holes.
Unlike the boys, one hole was all that was needed, Denton completing a brilliant day with the putter with a 22-foot birdie putt as Lee’s attempt from 10 feet lipped out hard on the left edge.
“Watching Rachel and Camilla finish was pretty nerve-wracking,” said Denton, who won the South Australian Amateur Classic by five strokes last month.
“I wasn’t sure if there was a chance of a play-off, but I was obviously hoping. This is my first play-off in a tournament of this calibre, so I was pretty nervous. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I was just trying to do the best I can.
“That was probably the biggest putt I’ve ever had that had the most importance. It was huge. I thought it was missing low, but it held on and it went in.
“It was awesome having everyone watching, including my parents, my team-mates, and my coach as well. I am just ecstatic. This is my last junior event ever so it’s a great way to finish my junior career.”
*Report courtesy Golf Australia.
