Grace Chung Tops the Field at Investors Group Junior Spring Classic Girls’ Championship
Stouffville, ON (GOLF ASSOCIATION OF ONTARIO) – Team Ontario member Grace Chung of Richmond Hill came from behind to capture the Investors Group Junior Spring Classic Girls’ championship title at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Stouffville.
Chung, 17, carded the low round of the 54-hole competition on Monday with an even-par 72, pulling ahead of first and second round leader Samatha Spencer of Georgetown. The victory is Chung’s first Golf Association of Ontario provincial championship title, and comes at a tournament that she hadn’t qualified for in the past.
“It’s a confidence boost times a million,” said an elated Chung. “I knew Samantha was a good player so even if I didn’t win, I just wanted to play well and post a good score to boost my confidence for the rest of the season. Having won it my first time out just feels great.”
The Station Creek Golf Club member closed out the tournament with a total score of 224 (78-74-72,+8), earning a two stroke victory over the field. Chung credited her solid putting over the weekend as the defining factor in her win.
“The course was in really good condition and the greens were rolling great, so everything just worked out,” she said. “If you look at the scorecard, the course isn’t that long, but its big defence mechanism is the greens and I overcame that factor this weekend.”
“I guess that’s why I came out on top, because my putting was really solid over the past three days.”
Runner-up honours went to Spencer, 15, who led the tournament through the first two rounds. The Club at North Halton member struggled on her way back into the clubhouse with a triple bogey on 16, but finished in style with a birdie on the final hole of the tournament to finish at 226 ( 76-73-77, +10). Spencer will compete alongside Chung again this coming weekend at the CN Future Links Ontario championship at Loyalist Country Club.
Two Team Ontario members finished tied for third place; Meghan McDougall of Markham (78-78-76) and Sophie Kitchen of Collingwood (80-73-79) who both earned identical scores of 232, 16-over par.
Barrie’s Corrine Grans-Wood delivered a tournament highlight on Monday with an ace on the 162-yard third hole. The 17-year-old finished in 15th position overall.
The Investors Group Junior Spring Classic Girls’ Championship is a 54 hole stroke play competition contested annually over the Victoria Day long weekend. The field of competitors gained entry to the competition through a qualifying process earlier in the season. The Golf Association of Ontario would like to thank Sleepy Hollow Country Club for playing host to the 2012 championship, and Investors Group for their continued support of amateur golf in Ontario.
FULL RESULTS
1 Grace Chung Richmond Hill, ON Station Creek GC 78-74-72–224 +8
2 Samantha Spencer Georgetown, ON The Club at North Halton 76-73-77–226 +10
T3 Meghan McDougall Markham, ON York Downs Golf & Country 78-78-76–232 +16
T3 Sophie Kitchen Collingwood, ON Blue Mountain G & CC 80-73-79–232 +16
5 Lorelle Weavers Burlington, ON Glendale Golf & CC 79-78-78–235 +19
6 Courtney Yanch Barrie, ON Barrie CC 79-79-79–237 +21
T7 Casey MacNeil Massey, ON Public Player(GAO Member) 84-79-75–238 +22
T7 Rachel Pollock Guelph, ON Cutten Fields 80-78-80–238 +22
9 Kennedy Bodfield St Catharines, ON Rockway Glen Golf Club 84-79-76–239 +23
10 Stephanie Chu Markham, ON Cedar Brae G & CC 80-77-83–240 +24
11 Adrienne D’alessio Woodbridge, ON The Club at Bond Head – S 85-81-75–241 +25
12 Stephanie Tucker Orangeville, ON Brampton GC 77-84-81–242 +26
13 Courtney Tolton Mitchell, ON Mitchell Golf & Country C 86-75-82–243 +27
14 Julia Champion Markham, ON Cedar Brae G & CC 85-80-79–244 +28
15 Corinne Grans-Wood Barrie, ON Horseshoe Resort Valley 89-74-82–245 +29
16 Madelyn Piccininni Toronto, ON Ladies GC of Toronto 85-81-82–248 +32
17 Michelle Ruiz Mississauga, ON Diamondback Golf Club 81-82-86–249 +33
18 Zaafina Naqvi Sault Ste Marie, ON Crimson Ridge 84-81-85–250 +34
19 Sonia Nagindas Aurora, ON Meadowbrook Golf & Countr 82-81-90–253 +37
20 Meghan Bennett Pickering, ON Whitevale GC 91-88-82–261 +45
21 Sarah Dunning Kitchener, ON Galt Country Club 90-85-88–263 +47
22 Claire Hernandez Palgrave, ON Ladies GC of Toronto 87-92-91–270 +54
DID NOT FINISH
DQ Jessica Ip Richmond Hill, ON Station Creek GC +23
DQ Monet Chun Richmond Hill, ON Public Player(GAO Member) +24
