Ella scrapes to victory
NERVES of steel and the perfect scrape from her Nana have helped rising star Ella Rogers claim back-to-back Victorian Junior Sandgreens Championships.
The 14-year-old held off a fast-finishing Sayumi De Costa at Bannockburn gold club to claim a two-shot win on Saturday.
Rogers, who had her nan and Inverleigh golf club member Deb Nicholls on the bag, led by only one shot heading up 18, but drained a long putt to secure victory.
Nicholls had been doing Rogers’s scrapes all day and saved her best to last on the 18th, watching on as her granddaughter sank the putt.
“(Sayumi) made par on the 17th and I was only one up on her then,” she said.
“I was pretty nervous about the 18th because she could have easily beaten me by one and got a draw.
“I just wanted to get the ball up the middle past the trees so I could have a good second shot in to the hole.
“(Nana) did everyone’s scrapes. I think she was more nervous than me on the last hole, she nearly had a heart attack.
“I was so scared (on the 18th green), I had to make this massive putt and she was one foot away from the hole and I sunk the putt.”
Rogers got off to a flying start, leading by five after nine holes.
But De Costa found some momentum on the back nine, getting back into contention after Rogers made double bogeys on 15 and 16.
However, pars on 17 and 18 delivered Rogers a thrilling win.
“I played surprisingly well. I’m not sure where that came from,” she said.
“It was nice (going back-toback), I was scared but excited at the same time.
“I was pretty happy with how I was playing, but she (De Costa) started playing well at the end as well.
“(I made par on the first) and I think that made me a bit more confident.” MEANWHILE, Colac golfer Tom Hanson took out the Victorian boys competition with a two-shot win over upand-coming Winchelsea junior Lockie Bath and twotime defending champion Mitchell Crabbe (Barwon Valley).
Max Christie (Geelong) took out the B-grade gross on a countback from Paddy Murphy (Ballarat).