Isabella Leniartek and Ollie Marsh overcome quality fields and some outrageous weather to each earn a second State Junior Amateur title.
The 36-hole Drummond Golf Junior Amateur Championships of WA played out under leaden skies, with the 100+ competitors buffeted by howling winds, sheeting rain and icy temperatures over two days at The Western Australian Golf Club.
Day one was particularly challenging, with unpredictable gusts, rain-filled bunkers and sudden downpours amongst the obstacles to be negotiated.
Despite this, there were some rounds to marvel at – not least Marsh’s sublime level-par 70 that laid the foundations for his march to the title on day two.
The 17-year-old Wanneroo member led by one overnight from WA state teammate Nate Johnson (who also produced some first-round fireworks), with rising talents Kloden Brown, Blake Wager, Mason Burr, Thomas Pyke and home-club favourite Lucas Wan chasing hard.
In the girls’ event, Round 1 ended with a tie at the top between defending champion Leniartek (Royal Perth), Heejoo Cho and Dempsey Brown (both Royal Fremantle) after all three carded rounds of 80, while a dozen or more girls lay within striking distance.
How it panned out
While gentler conditions prevailed during the second round, incessant drizzle and chilliness continuing to place the onus on course management and ball control.
Nevertheless, it was a much better day for scoring, opening up the possibility of a dark horse going low and making a surprise run for the title.
That’s precisely what occurred in the girls’ championship, with Royal Perth’s Meihui Zhao producing the round of her life to surge into contention.
Fifteen-year-old Zhao had opened with an 84 but moved up several gears on day two, shaving 13 strokes off that total en route to a two-under-par 71 – the first time she’d broken par in her career.
It set an impressive clubhouse total, but Leniartek is adept at frontrunning and she proved it again with a rock-solid back nine that included a crucial birdie on the par-five 17th.
This put her a shot clear of Zhao and a par at the last for a round of 74 was ultimately enough for a one-stroke victory.
Dempsey Brown’s strong season continued as she closed with a 76 to take outright third, a shot ahead of Halia Edwards (Gosnells), with Joondalup CC’s Katie Seol rounding out the top five.
Royal Perth’s Meihui Zhao produced the round of her life to claim the Girls’ runner-up spot
Things were much more clear cut in the boys’ event, with Marsh pulling away from the field on the back nine after nearest rival Nate Johnson’s challenge faded.
A birdie on 14 essentially made the title safe and allowed Marsh to coast home by five strokes after a second consecutive round of 70.
It was surprise package Blake Wager who ran Marsh closest after he added an excellent 71 to his opening 74. The 13-year-old Gosnells member earned his best result in a national ranking event and looks to be a player to watch in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Royal Fremantle’s Kloden Brown matched sister Dempsey’s result to claim outright third, while Mason Burr (Gosnells) and Lucas Wan (WAGC) shared 4th place.
View the final leaderboards here.
Success breeds success
Serial winners and perennial challengers, both Marsh and Leniartek were able to draw on title-winning experience to see themselves over the line this week.
“Going into the final round, I just told myself to control the things that I could control, and if I could do that I thought I’d have a pretty good chance today,” Marsh told GolfWA.
“I did well at controlling my emotions, hitting smart shots and missing in the right spot, which are things I’ve worked really hard on. I’ve got a good team around me at the moment and I’m really proud of how I handled my game this week.
“I struggled earlier in the year, but my game’s been trending and my ball striking was really good this week. The main thing in these conditions is controlling your ball flight, and from tee to green I was right on my A-Game.”
Ollie Marsh hardly put a foot wrong to claim the WA Boys’ Championship
Leniartek echoed Marsh’s views and says she went into the final day’s play in confident mood.
“I’ve got a lot of experience being in this position and I know what it takes to mentally prepare myself to win,” she said. “It was close and I’m really pleased to win, because Meihui played so well today.”
Leniartek has now won four consecutive GolfWA Junior ‘Majors’ dating back to July 2024, but says she’s now looking to make more of an impact in bigger events against interstate competitors.
“I know that I can compete against the girls from the eastern states, so I want to play in as many events as I can at that level,” she added.
“The next big event for me is the Bowra & O’Dea Women’s Classic in September, which always has a really good field. I’m focusing on doing well in that and showing what I can do against the eastern states’ players.”
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