12 Jul 2024 | Amateur golf |
Bang and Brady take out NSW Junior Amateur
by Golf NSW
Concord’s rising star Michelle Bang has claimed her third victory in less than a month, securing the NSW Junior Championship with Queenslander Jedd Brady going wire to wire in the boys' division.
Ann Jang, of NSW GC, led the tournament all week, but by the 18th hole, Bang had tied up the scores.
It seemed like a playoff was imminent until Jang’s critical two-putt bogey on the last hole left her one shot short, while Bang calmly parred to win the championship.
“I’m feeling great, it’s my third win in a month so I’m happy,” Bang said with a smile. “I had a slow start today, 1-under on the front nine and then I had three birdies on the back nine so that helped me a lot.”
Bang’s final round of 3-under-par 71 was good enough for a total score of 5-under 290. Jang eventually finishing tied for second with Avondale’s Rachel Lee, who flew home with a 5-under-par 69.
Victorian Sophie Mann was the best of the interstate visitors, securing fourth place with a final score of 2-under for the week.
Bang admitted she was determined despite starting the final round two shots behind the leader.
“I just wanted to play my game and not worry about other people’s scores. I was just trying to make more putts, and I did check the leaderboard while I was out there,” she laughed.
This victory follows her recent wins at the NSW CHSSA Championships and the Victorian Junior Championships.
“I’m feeling pretty confident, my game’s pretty good at the moment and my putting has been better. My iron shots were good too, always within ten feet,” the 17-year-old added.
“The courses were very wet but I’m happy to have played under par, didn’t play over par all week.”
This win will now secure her a spot in the 2025 Women’s NSW Open.
“I’m looking forward to playing the professional tournament. The last time I played the Women’s NSW Open was two years ago.”
In the boys' division, Jedd Brady of Royal Queensland was unstoppable, winning by five shots with a final score of -7 after an even par round of 70 at Cabramatta Golf Club.
“I feel great. It was a challenge out there today, the course definitely wasn’t easy, but I just committed to my shots, stayed in the present and then let the result take care of itself in the end. So I’m really, really happy,” the 17-year-old said.
Brady noted that leading and winning a four-day event was a new experience and the biggest win of his career.
“It’s not the nicest feeling sleeping on the lead each night but you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. You train all year, and this is where you want to end up. It’s a hard position to be in but I think I handled it well and I’m pleased with the performance,” he added.
“It was good to get the job done.”
Brady’s game was in top form all week, never playing over par.
“Putting this week was really a strength of mine, I think I gained five shots in the first round alone. So it was nice to see the putts fall. Towards the end of the championship it was more the mental game that stood out,” said Brady.
“You’re not going to hit great shots all the time but it’s your ability to recover from those and keep going.”
For his wire-to-wire effort, Brady has earned himself a spot in this year's prestigious NSW Open to be played at Murray Downs Golf and Country Club from November 14-17.
“That’s amazing. I’ll definitely prepare hard and give it a good crack. I’ve only played in one professional tournament before,” he said with a smile.
“The professionals are there for a reason. They’re obviously the best in the world so I think it’s about going there and seeing what they do best and learning from them.”
Coming in second place on -2 par was Ryde Parramatta’s Vidur Subramaniam, who holed a phenomenal 30-metre chip shot on the last to finish the tournament with a birdie.
Tied for third was The Australian’s Harry Gourlay and Queenslander Saxxon Ford, both with a score of +3.
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