Chris Somerfield wins Brisbane Junior Amateur at his home club

Seventeen-year-old Brisbane Golf Club member Chris Somerfield has today won the Brisbane Junior Amateur Championship, emulating the feat of fellow member Lawry Flynn back in 2015.

With rounds of 69-68, the Year 12 Brisbane School of Distance Education student fired eight birdies and an eagle in his five-under par score on his home course to win by two shots from Gold Coast’s Billy Dowling, who recently won the Queensland Junior Amateur.

Grouped with the other three lowest handicappers in the classy field of 128, the plus two marker who works part-time in the BGC Pro Shop came from one shot back overnight to claim the biggest win of his fledgling career.

“I won a major two-day event at Royal Pines back in April that was exciting, but to win on my home course, under pretty tough conditions, was a huge thrill,” he said.

“Being paired today with overnight leader Tom Winn, top 10 ranked amateur Michael Song and Billy (Dowling), certainly raised the bar and brought out my best golf. It was a challenge, and I’m proud I was able to get the job done.”

Despite intermittent rain, testing pin placements and scant run because of the wet conditions, Chris had only two bogeys on his final-day card of three under par. And both were the result of three-putt greens.

And while he said he played better in the final round than on day one, the highlight of the Championship was an eagle at his opening hole on Thursday, the par-five first. After a monster drive, he hit eight iron to inside a metre, and drained the putt.

Chris has enjoyed a stellar golfing year. He made headlines in May when he, along with eight other BGC members, qualified for the Queensland Open, missing the cut by one shot. And in April he won the 18 and under division of the Australian Junior Age Championships at Royal Pines, with a trip to Ireland the reward.

His next major event is the Queensland Amateur Championships, to be played at Coolangatta-Tweed Golf Club next month.

Chris was not the only BGC member to win at the BGC-hosted Brisbane Junior Amateur Championships. Harvey Palmer finished with the best nett after two rounds, shooting rounds of 74 and 75 from his six handicap. Both Chris and Harvey will play Pennants for BGC in the upcoming season.

The girls’ Junior Amateur Champion is Celine Chen, from Joondalup Resort in WA. She won on a countback with rounds of 70 and 73. Runner up was recently-crowned girls Queensland Amateur Champion, Haruhi Nakatani. – TONY DURKIN