The second round of the 2017 Dandara Junior Order of Merit was held at Peel Golf Club on Sunday, with 49 young golfers in action.
The junior players were participating in five separate competitions in fabulous weather, and many achieved handicap cuts or their first official junior handicaps of 54.
In the Under 18 section Rowany’s Jack Gilbert took first place with a round of 71 Gross/67 Nett from Peel player Lea Dawson, whose 76 Gross/68 Nett earned her second spot.
Sam Crawford of Mount Murray took his second win of the season in the Under 14s section with a score of 91 Gross/67 Nett to beat clubmate Freddie Dancox, who hit 89 Gross/71 Nett.
The 9-hole competition was won by Thomas Slinger from Peel with an enviable score of 26 points, with round one winner Jack Higgins, from Ramsey, this time taking second spot with a great score of 22 points. In the 6-hole Competition, a fantastic 23 points was scored by Ben Clarke from Port St Mary to take the honours from Ellis Dunn of Peel, on 18 points.
The Flag competition was a close-run race with two Douglas players taking the top places; Emily Dooley just pipped her clubmate to the win by holing out on the 9th with 36 shots, while Finley Richards finished on the 9th green.
The Junior Order of Merit was launched with assistance from England Golf in 2014 with the aim of encouraging youngsters to get involved in the sport and to develop a pathway to becoming better players and continuing with golf as a sport for life. Contested by boys and girls together, it is split into sections to cater for all levels of ability, including full rounds for Under 18s and Under 14s, 9-hole and 6-hole competitions for younger and less experienced players, and a flag competition for beginners.
This is the second season it has been sponsored by award-winning developer Dandara, which is also title sponsor of Isle of Man Golf’s Junior Championships, which take place in July.
Isle of Man Golf President Dee Lewis said: ‘Many thanks to Peel Golf Club for hosting this event, to all the officials and helpers and, of course, to Dandara for its generous sponsorship and ongoing support for junior golf in the Isle of Man.’
The full list of prize winners was: Jack Gilbert (Rowany), Lea Dawson (Peel), Sam Crawford (Mount Murray), Freddie Dancox (Mount Murray), Thomas Slinger (Peel), Jack Higgins (Ramsey), Ben Clarke (Port St Mary), Ellis Dunn (Peel), Emily Dooley (Douglas) and Finley Richards (Douglas).
The third round of the Dandara Junior Order of Merit will be held at Rowany Golf Club on Sunday 21st May. Entries can be made through club junior organisers and information will be displayed at all clubs.
For more information visit www.isleofmangolf.im or the Golf Isle of Man page on Facebook.
Photo - Some of the winners and players at the second round of the Dandara Junior Order of Merit.
