Outstanding junior golfers Cooper Moore (Clearwater) and Yoonae Jeong (Wakatipu juniors) have made their mark at their respective Royal and Ancient Junior Opens in Scotland.
Moore showed his talents in the boys’ field at Kilmarnoch Golf Club.
A first-round 71 left him tied for second after being 3-over-par after just six holes.
He settled nicely for four birdies after that.
Again, he struggled in the second round, being 3-over after seven holes.
He had the worst of the conditions in the morning with strong winds and rain coming in sideways through to the 11th hole. From there, two birdies and two bogeys for 76 left him in eighth place.
Moore stuck to his game plan and left his best for last with a flawless final round of 68 with four birdies.
This put him in a tie for second with three other players, but with the best final round, he finished second on a countback, four shots behind winner Seonghyeong An (South Korea).
Moore was over the moon after his effort, and looked forward to watching some golf at a major this weekend.
"It is going to be great to enjoy watching the world’s best golfers do their thing at the Open at Royal Troon.
It will be an eye-opener for my future goals."
It was also a valuable experience for Jeong at the Royal and Ancient Junior Girls Open at Barassie in Scotland, her first time overseas at an elite event.
She played consistent golf except for two significant blemishes.
A 76 had her 17th after round one, while a promising second round was ruined with an extraordinary 11 on the par-4 sixth hole, and her round score was 80.
Like Moore, she had to weather the worst of the conditions in the morning.
Another 80 in the third round included a spoiler eight on the par-4 13th hole.
Even with those two rogue holes, it was commendable that she recovered to finish tied for 23rd.
By Neville Idour
