27 May 2021 | Amateur golf |
Perkins, Guan land CHS crowns
by Golf NSW
Jeffrey Guan and Charlotte Perkins have won the respective boys' and girls' titles at the NSW Combined High Schools (CHS) Championship at Catalina Country Club.
The pair, both in year 11 at Endeavour Sports High and members of The Australian Golf Club, motored away from their opponents in the final round, Perkins winning by five from Newcastle's Ella Scaysbrook, while Guan, showed his class, firing a five-under-par 67 to win by an impressive nine shots.
Starting the day two shots back, Guan made his intentions clear early, making birdie on the tenth hole (his first) to get within one.
With the scoring proving tricky around the tight Catalina layout, the reigning Australian Junior champion got a wake-up call when his tee shot on the 17th rolled just out of bounds.
The resulting triple-bogey bit hard; however, being the competitor he is, Guan quickly bounced back with a birdie on the 18th. From there, he didn't look back.
Three more birdies in the next four holes put his lead out to six and when he rolled in back-to-back birdies on the sixth and seventh, it was all over.
"Yeah, that triple was actually good for me, just to get me back on track, focused." Guan beamed.
"I birdied 18, and that gave me a bit of momentum. I birdied one, then hit the green (for two) on the third, and then things started going my way again."
It's Guan's second CHS crown after his individual honours at Yamba in 2019.
The 16-year-old said seeing his name alongside some of the players who had won it before was very special.
"It has a good history for sure and I do get a thrill seeing my name up there," Guan said with a grin.
Charlotte Perkins made every post a winner in the girls' division.
After starting the final round with a two-shot lead, Perkins made a slow start with three bogeys in her opening nine.
But the 16-year-old settled down on the back nine, and with birdies on the 12th and 17th, she safely locked the title away.
"Yeah, I'm pretty stoked. I've just got a new clubs, so it was pretty good to come out here and have a win.," she said.
"I struggled a bit on the first nine with no birdies. The birdie on 12 got me going. I was good for the rest of the round."
Perkins has been quietly accumulating wins in the Jack Newton Junior Golf ranks for the past few years, but the CHS title is another crown she is delighted to have on her resume.
"Yeah, I'm very honoured to have won this event, especially after seeing some of the great names on it. Hopefully, I can follow in their footsteps."
Former winners of the NSW CHS Championship include future professionals Blake Windred (2014), Cameron Davis (2011), Shelly Shin (2011), Rebecca Flood (2006), Nick Flanagan (2001), Sarah Kemp (2001), Nikki Garrett (2000), Ewan Porter (1999), Steve Elkington (1980), Rodger Davis (1968) and Jack Newton (1966)
Results:
Join our newsletter
Get weekly updates on news, golf tips and access to partner promotions.