Latest news with #JuniorChampionship
Telegraph
7 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
‘My junior major win helped me grow'
Ten years on from her staggering 16-shot victory in the Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship, Northern Ireland's Olivia Mehaffey says that the event in Portugal remains one of the most fun weeks of her career. Not only did she make history by becoming the first Irish girls' winner of the junior major, but she says she matured and made lifelong friends at Quinta do Lago, which will later this year host girls' finals on its 35th anniversary. Mehaffey had qualified on her home course at Royal County Down, having been told by her father that her round was going to act as a qualifier. 'You have to post a good score [if you want] to travel out there,' she says. 'Knowing that, I had nothing to lose, and for me it was a one-day shoot-out. I remember being really excited as no Irish player had reached the finals before.' Mehaffey travelled out to the Algarve having won the Scottish, Irish (for the third year running) and Welsh Open Amateur strokeplay titles. Then came her stunning win in Portugal, which was by one of the biggest winning margins in Junior Championship history. 'I won by 16 shots, but I remember playing the last hole still thinking to myself 'Why are you so nervous!'' she laughs. 'The tournament really develops you as a golfer. We had media training, got to go out to Portugal, play in the am-am and play in front of TV cameras. 'It helped me mature as a player, and I know there were players there younger than me, so to start that development earlier is brilliant.' Mehaffey went on to reach the top five in the amateur world rankings and has played in two Curtis Cups, two US Opens, three Opens and was in the top 10 at the Augusta National Women's Amateur. She attended Arizona State University before turning professional in 2021. 'Education was important, and getting a college degree is something I am very proud of,' she says. 'I didn't need to rush and I had a lot of growing up to do. Having to mature away from my mum and dad helped me get to the next stage of life. 'Golf is extremely humbling. It is so up and down, and you never know what's around the corner. It's about being consistent, doing the things that work for you and not veering off that path.' After Mehaffey lost her father to cancer in late 2021, she took some time away from golf. In March this year she achieved her best showing in over 20 months by finishing fourth on South Africa's Sunshine Tour. She says: 'I had anxiety on the course but worked hard with my sports psychologist. It's nice to go out now and be able to see shots and be comfortable standing up on holes.' A decade on from her memorable win, Mehaffey is best placed to offer advice to those juniors wanting to follow in her footsteps. 'Everyone's journey is different,' she adds. 'There are people who turn pro after a successful amateur career and do well very quickly, and others who take a little bit longer. You have to find your own journey and story, and know you can't compare it to other people.'
Winnipeg Free Press
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Lafleche takes seven-stroke lead into final round
Jeri Lafleche has played enough competitive golf to know her lead can disappear in a few swings. With the way the Winnipeg teen is striking the ball, however, perhaps that's all it'll take for her to become unreachable on Wednesday. Lafleche, who began the day with a two-shot advantage, ended Tuesday's round at the junior women's provincial championship with a seven-stroke lead after firing a rock-solid 2-under 70 at Quarry Oaks in Steinbach. MIKE PETERS / GOLF MANITOBA Niakwa's Jeri Lafleche shot 70 on Tuesday at Quarry Oaks, growing her lead to a seven-shot advantage in the Junior Girls Championship. The Niakwa member is not afraid to recognize that she's played outstandingly through two days, but she's also not wiping away her game face with 18 holes remaining. 'I'm not really thinking too much about the outcome. I think I'm just going to try to stick with my game plan. It's worked pretty well these past two days. Nothing really major has come up where it's put me in some big trouble. So just thinking about that tomorrow is going to be pretty key, I think,' Lafleche told the Free Press after her round. Reigning champion Addison Kartusch has the best chance at catching Lafleche on the final day. Kartusch is 4-over for the tournament after carding a 3-over 75 in the second round. Jewel Lafleche, Jeri's younger sister, is in solo third at 15-over, while Payton Oakden (17-over) and Camryn Thomas (21-over) round out the top five. 'Seven strokes — it sounds like a lot, but then I know that it only takes a couple of holes for me to give that back,' Lafleche said. 'Addie and I have played a lot of golf together, and I know what she can pull out, but I'm confident in my game, so just kind of finding that balance.' Along with Monday's 1-under 71, Lafleche is the first to post consecutive rounds under par at the Junior Girls Championship in more than two decades. Golf Manitoba's round-by-round archives go back as far as 2004, but it's fair to say the leader has put together one of the finest two-round performances in tournament history. The former back-to-back Women's Amateur Champion poured in four birdies in Tuesday's round, and unlike Monday when she rode a rollercoaster of birdies and bogeys on the front nine, she struck a groove early on and enjoyed a more consistent outing. 'No part of my game is letting me down this week,' said Lafleche, who is the only player to finish in red figures this week. 'So I'm not trying to avoid hitting certain shots, and I think playing aggressively and being able to execute those aggressive shots has maybe saved me a few strokes on some holes that I know maybe birdieing or paring is going to gain strokes on the field.' Lafleche is seeking her first Junior Championship crown in her final start at the tournament. Meanwhile, Kartusch remains hopeful that she can continue a historic run of play in provincial tournaments. Last year, the St. Charles teen became the first Manitoba woman to win the Match Play, Amateur and Junior Championship in the same summer. She can repeat the triple crown with a win on Wednesday. 'I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself to perform the way I want to, but I've kind of been in this position before,' said Kartusch, a two-time winner who is also playing in her final junior event. 'It's not a comfortable feeling, I guess, because it's still a tournament and I want to play well, and it's golf — you don't know what's going to happen — but I think having played a bunch of tournaments before now and having experience, I do feel confident about the rounds I put in this summer, so far.' Kartusch and the Lafleche sisters will tee off in the final group at 12:23 p.m. On the Junior Boys' side, Spence Mott and Payne Wood went shot-for-shot in a thrilling final grouping, combining for 12 birdies and finishing with matching 4-under 68s. Mott, who hails from Shilo, is 5-under for the tournament and holds a one-shot lead over St. Boniface's Wood heading into the final round. 'There were a lot of birdies,' said Mott, who was under par on seven holes. 'He put more of the pressure on me most of the time, put everything closer so I had to make a lot more feet in putts than he did.' Wood had the cleaner round, dropping just one shot on the third hole — his only bogey through 36 holes — but Mott scored more. Birdies on one, five, seven, nine, 11, 15 and 16 outweighed his three bogeys on Tuesday. 'I think everything kind of just worked,' he added. 'I didn't hit it out of play once, didn't really give myself many long putts and made the par 5s pretty easy.' Others firmly in the mix include host course member Ty Brewster, who paces the 15 and 16-year-old division but sits five shots back of the overall lead at even par, and Niakwa's Ryder St. Laurent, who leads the 13 and 14-year-old division at 1-over. Tanner Grose, Gavin Carver and Nathan Hoogsteen are tied for fifth place at 4-over. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The junior men's championship will see a different winner for the third year in a row. Teerawut Boonseeor of Thailand and Shilo's Zostrianos Giordani-Gross have won the last two events, respectively, after Winnipeg's Braxton Kuntz went back-to-back. 'I just want to keep the game face on. Try and shoot three rounds under par,' said Mott. Mott, Wood and Brewster are off at 11:24 a.m. 'I think (I have to do) the same as today,' Mott added. 'The lower I keep my expectations, the more birdies I just start to make — they just start falling a lot more, instead of chasing them.' Joshua Frey-SamReporter Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh. Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
The Citizen
26-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Springs karate club claims medals in Junior SA Champs
The KWF Springs Karate Club on Ermelo Road in Casseldale competed in the Karatenomichi World Federation South Africa (KWF SA) Junior Championship at the Portuguese Hall in Johannesburg on June 7. The event drew participants from across SA. The club delivered an impressive performance, returning home with several medals. Kaleb Walker and Theodore van Eck earned silver and bronze medals, respectively, in kata, while Brian Kapp took silver in the kihon ippon kumite division. Fanie du Plessis of the KWF Springs expressed pride in the team's achievements. 'We are one of the longest-standing karate clubs in Springs, and over the years, we've seen tremendous progress in our students. We continue to grow, and our main aim is to help them be the best they can be,' he said. ALSO READ: South Africans' pay goes toward paying off debt, little room for savings ALSO READ: Teaching with grace: Malapane builds Divine Montessori to empower black families in early learning At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Washington Post
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Lilli Tagger wins French Open girls title
PARIS — Lilli Tagger of Austria has won the girls title at the French Open without dropping a set in the tournament. Making her junior Roland-Garros debut this year, the 17-year-old Tagger beat eighth-seeded Hannah Klugman of Britain 6-2, 6-0 in the final on Saturday. Tagger saved all five break points she faced and hit 19 winners.
India Gazette
30-05-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
APGC Junior Championship: Ranveer, Krish finish fifth in boys' team competition; Saanvi, Kashika end eighth in girls' team event
New Delhi [India], May 30 (ANI): Indian amateurs Ranveer Mitroo and Krish Chawla registered a fifth-place finish in the boys' team competition after posting a combined total of four-over 430 in the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Junior Championship here at the Hong Kong Golf Club on Thursday. The Chinese pair of Jin Heng Yan and Jin Han won the boys' team title with a tally of four under 422. Rainy weather conditions made it difficult for lower scores. However, Ranveer continued his golden run in the event by submitting a modest two-over 73 in the third and final round to finish sixth in the individual event. His overall total read two-under 211, the best among the four-member team sent by the Indian Golf Union (IGU). Krish finished 22nd with a three-round total of six-over 219. New Zealand's Cooper Moore clinched the boys' individual title by a two-stroke margin over Tuan Anh Nguyen of Vietnam with a three-day total of nine-under 204. Ranveer, 16, felt that the tournament offered him an 'invaluable learning experience' and that he gained a better understanding of his strengths and areas of growth. 'Competing in a field like the APGC Juniors has given me a significant confidence boost. Being surrounded by talented players and experiencing the competitive atmosphere has motivated me to push my limits. I realised that I can hold my own against strong competitors, which has reinforced my belief in my abilities,' Ranveer said later. 'The support from the Indian Golf Union has been instrumental in my development as a golfer. They provide access to competitive opportunities that are crucial for my growth,' the 16-year-old added. In the individual girls' event, Saanvi Somu carded a two-over 74 in the final round to end her campaign in a creditable 10th place. Her compatriot, still recovering from illness, posted an improved three-over-75 to finish the tournament in 19th position. The Indian pair of Kashika and Saanvi finished eighth with a combined score of 16-over 448. In the mixed team event, the Indian pair of Krish and Saanvi ended their campaign in 13th position at 11-over 437. (ANI)
