Junior Development in focus at Parkwood
By Mathilda Andersson
The annual Hills Australian Junior Open Championship was held at Parkwood International Golf and Function Complex on the Gold Coast last month, exhibiting some of the best under 21 talents in the Asia Pacific region.
The opening ceremony held on Monday November 23rd saw 116 boys and girls from 12 different countries ready to compete for a spot at an APJGA tournament of their choice in 2016, and an invitation to play in the Greg Norman Masters next year.
Parkwood International managing director Luke Altschwager said the club was proud to support the Hill’s flagship tournament, and that the event was aligned with their aim to get more kids playing golf in Australia.
“At Club Parkwood we want to remove the barrier of price, get junior golf more inexpensive, and get more people playing,” he said.
“We want to create that grass-roots environment for the kids where they can develop in a team based, competitive atmosphere.
“Our motto at Club Parkwood is ‘There’s something for everyone and everyone’s invited’. We’re trying to move away from the traditional golf club model and create an all-inclusive community hub.”
The junior event, which carries World Ranking Status sanctioned by the Royal and Ancient Club of St Andrews, is part of the Hills Asia Pacific Junior Golf Series.
Director of Golf at Hills International College Tom Berndt said the junior series is an important part in grooming international players and in enhancing the level of competition.
“We’re very proud to say that this event was born really through us at Hills, and that we have been able to expand out to many different countries over the years,” Mr Berndt said.
“We had capacity for 120 players and we almost hit that mark this time, which is very satisfying for us as sponsors.
“The level of competition among these kids keeps getting stiffer, and this year we have some very good players from Japan, Thailand and Australia of course.”
The event was played over 54 holes at Parkwood International, just outside of Surfer Paradise on the Gold Coast, after relocating from previous year’s location at the prestigious Brookwater Golf Club at Springfield Lakes west of Brisbane.
“We decided that Parkwood, or anywhere on the Gold Coast, would be better suited, especially for travelling parents to find accommodation,” Mr Berndt said.
“We thought it was a good time to come and Parkwood was kind enough to give us a good arrangement so it all worked out well. Parkwood has certainly helped out with reducing the fees and with different sponsorships as well.
“The course here is softer with shorter holes, and not as penal of a course as Brookwater. It’s actually a better course for junior golf.”
Around 80 of the international players are staying at the Hills International Educational Facility at Jimboomba, south of Brisbane, for the duration of the tournament, and are being transferred by bus to the Gold Coast every day.
Queensland PGA State Manager Broc Greenhalgh and Golf Queensland Chief Executive Officer Lindsay Ellis made an appearance at the opening ceremony, expressing their support for junior development in the state.
“Australia has some of the greatest young talents in the word, and Queensland has proven better at fostering young Aussies than some other states,” Mr Greenhalgh said.
“We have the advantage here in Queensland of getting to play all year around, and it’s great that this tournament exposes this fantastic course around the world, instead of just putting a blanket over the Gold Coast.”
Lindsay Ellis emphasised the importance of junior tournaments in terms of being a pathway to play on an international level later on.
“There’s a lot of depth in talent among Australian juniors, and tournaments like this are important for their development progress,” he said.
“It’s exciting to see so many talented young players coming out of Queensland especially.
“Maybe the next Jason Day is amongst these kids.”
The final event of the Hills Asia Pacific Junior Golf Series is being held in China later this year. Parkwood International has committed to hosting the Junior Open Championship again in 2016.
RESULTS:
The under 18 boys division was won by Mo Limpipolpaibul from Thailand and the girls division was brought home by Rei Matsuda from Japan.
Kevin Koong from New Zealand was the winner of the under 15 boys and Geraldine Xuan from Malaysia won the girls under 15.
